Information about myself:

I competed in debate for four years at Watertown High School in South Dakota. I did a little policy, public forum, but my main focus was LD debate. I was the head coach at Tea Area School District for two years. I am currently an assistant debate coach for Watertown High School. Listed below are my paradigms for LD, Policy, and Public Forum Debate.

Note: If you have any other questions feel free to ask before the round but if you do ask I will wait to make sure everyone who will compete in the round is in there so no one has an unfair advantage.

LD Debate:

I am a very traditional LD judge in that I really enjoy Value/Criteria debate. Contentions should support your Value/Criteria and the resolution for your side. For voting my very first look is Value/Criteria and is either of the sides still standing or has the other side has shown me as the judge that they can uphold not only their own but also their opponents. In a closer round then I will go to the contention debate.

Value/Criteria-If someone completely ignores the Value/Criteria in their case or in the round then they will most likely lose the round as Value/Criteria is the most important part of LD debate for me.

Voting-When walking into each round of debate, no matter what, I go in with a clean slate and each round is a new round even if I have voted for one person over the other previously and they are facing each other again on the same side. I will only evaluate the round based on what I hear not what I know so do not assume I know.

Ballots-Each round I will also give my RFD (Reason for Decision), make sure you read this if you are wondering why I voted the way I did.

Timing-As the judge, I am the one who has an official time in the round. If you want to give me an off-the-clock road map please notify me (right away!) of this or else I will start the clock and it will count as part of your speech. I will give you 30-sec intervals (until it gets down to your last 30 seconds then I will give you 15, 10, 5) of prep time so you don’t need to ask what you have left and I will let you know of your time before I start and when I stop your prep time. With stopping your prep time, remember I have your official prep time so therefore what I have is what you have left of prep time(My pet peeve is when you tell me to stop prep time and/or tell me that you have X:XX left of prep time, so not don’t do this).

Cross-X-Make sure you ask relevant questions and be polite during cross-x but remember if you are asking the questions don’t let them take the time just rambling on about things that don’t matter if they answered your question. If they answered your question don’t be rude about moving on to your next question. I really like it when students say “Thank you but can I ask another one?”

Flowing/Speed-I flow everything in the round, including cross-x so remember what you and your opponent say because it could help or hurt you at the end of the round. I am not a fan of speed at all so make sure you go at a conversational speed so I can write it down.

Electronics-I know electronics are now a very familiar thing in debate but when someone asks for your case or evidence then you better have a way to share it with them either by flash drive (if they have a computer) or have it printed out for them to look at or you might have to give them your device. Also, I am okay with using your phone as a timer in the round.

Public Forum Debate:

Voters-If I get one from both sides then I weigh both frameworks and look at who achieved both frameworks. In the last speech for each team tell me why you won the debate and achieved the framework. If there is not a framework debate going on in the round then tell me what the voters are. If the Aff has 3 voters for the round and the Neg has 3 but only 2 are the same then I will look at those two to decide the round.

Voting-Voting-When walking into each round of debate, no matter what, I go in with a clean slate and each round is a new round even if I have voted for one person over the other previously and they are facing each other again on the same side. I will only evaluate the round based on what I hear not what I know so do not assume I know. If you leave it to me at the end of the round to decide who won round one if not both teams will be disappointed with the RFD. Tell me why I should vote for you and write the ballot for me.

Ballots-Each round I will also give my RFD (Reason for Decision), make sure you read this if you are wondering why I voted the way I did. I will tell you why I voted the way I voted, I will list each voter and framework, if it comes to it, and state why the team won or lost on each point. Again write the ballot for me.

Timing-As the judge, I am the one who has an official time in the round. If you want to give me an off-the-clock road map please notify me (right away!) of this or else I will start the clock and it will count as part of your speech. I will give you 30-sec intervals (until it gets down to your last 30 seconds then I will give you 15, 10, 5) of prep time so you don’t need to ask what you have left and I will let you know of your time before I start and when I stop your prep time. With stopping your prep time, remember I have your official prep time so therefore what I have is what you have left of prep time(My pet peeve is when you tell me to stop prep time and/or tell me that you have X:XX left of prep time, so not don’t do this).

Cross-Fire-Make sure you ask relevant questions and be polite during cross-fire but remember if you are asking the questions don’t let them take the time just rambling on about things that don’t matter if they answered your question. Also, I do not like just one person or team taking over the cross-fire time. If they answered your question don’t be rude about asking a follow-up. I really like it when students say “Thank you but can I ask another one?” Also the first two cross-fires, it is solo cross-fires and I don’t like team cross-fires (that is what Grand Cross-Fire is for). If you want to ask a question and your teammate is up there then give them the question on a piece of paper.

Flowing/Speed-I flow everything in the round, including cross-fire so remember what you and your opponent say because it could help or hurt you at the end of the round. Also since I flow everything, I am not a fan of speed at all so make sure you go at a conversational speed so I can write it down but I do not want you to go too slow.

Electronics-I know electronics are now a very familiar thing in debate but when someone asks for your case or evidence then you better have a way to share it with them either by flash drive (if they have a computer) or have it printed out for them to look at or you might have to give them your device if they ask for it. Also, I am okay with you using your phone as a timer in the round.

E-mail for email chains and/or questions:Travis.Dahle@k12.sd.us

tl/dr - I prefer old school argumentation but won't intervene - I'm also old and slower on flowing 5/10 - don't waste time on evidence sharing

Lincoln-Douglas Paradigm

I have very little national circuit experience in LD as I primarily judge public forum and policy debate (see more on that below). In LD I am more of a traditional judge as in I like a discussion of the resolution from the standpoint of a value and value-criterion and contention debate. That being said, at Dowling I voted for a Plant-ontology aff, a Counter-plan on the neg, etc. so while I prefer the classic style, I don't intervene into the round either and if you have a good RoB, then I'll listen to it and will focus the debate on that if that's what you make it.

I'm about a 5/10 on speed. I'm old now and prefer to actually hear the evidence of the debate rather than read the evidence on an e-mail chain...

Public Forum Paradigm

Public Forum should NOT be a shorter version of Policy Debate. Meaning, I don't want to see K's, DA's, Topicality, Plans and CP's in Public Forum - nor am I a big fan of speed in PF. I love policy debate, but I also love that Public Forum is not policy and it's an option for people who don't want to do policy debate. This doesn't mean that you can't go a little faster than you would for a lay judge, but don't go crazy.

****EVIDENCE SHARING****

This should absolutely NOT TAKE SO FREAKING LONG!!!!! Seriously people, you should all have your evidence ready to be shared - in fact, I would prefer that people actually share their evidence before they begin their speeches if everyone is going to spend this much time asking for evidence. PF rounds are becoming 90 minute rounds because apparently trying to find evidence and asking about evidence magically doesn't come out of any prep time or crossfire time, but magic time that doesn't exist.

IF YOU WASTE THAT MUCH TIME TRYING TO PUT TOGETHER YOUR EVIDENCE PEOPLE ARE ASKING FOR I AM GOING TO START DECREASING POINTS! Have your poop in a group people - this is getting old!

Big Questions Debate - I don't judge BQ a ton, however, I'd look at my paradigm much like the PF and LD paradigms below.

tl/dr - Slow down, enunciate, use evidence and weight the debate at the end - do it all respectfully to your opponent

Extemp Paradigm

I am a mix of content and delivery when it comes to judging. When it comes to sources, don't make stuff up. With the internet available now, if I suspect you are making things up, I will probably check it when you are speaking. You don't have to make stuff up - unlike the olden days where you hoped to have a file on the Togo questions Washington put out each year - you can literally google your info and bring it up instantly.

Also - ANSWER THE QUESTION - don't waffle - pick a stance and tell me why you choose that way. Pretty simple.

Don't overly fidget or dance around - but don't be a robot either.

Have fun!!!!

Policy Paradigm

In essence, I am a tabula rosa judge, meaning that I will pretty much listen to anything and will evaluate it based on the arguments in the round. That doesn't mean I don't have things I prefer or things I think are bad arguments (which I will go over) - but for the most part, I will listen to anything in the round. However, unless you tell me how you want me to evaluate the round, I will default to a Policy Making paradigm. I have been the head coach at Washington HS since 2009.

Speed: I've gotten old here and have grown weary with blazing speed - put me down as a 5/10 on speed. I'd rather have the ability to hear the evidence instead of having to read through everything on an e-mail chain. If you go too fast I'll let you know - you won't automatically lose, you'll just annoy me a little - unless you ignore me, which if I'm on a 3-judge panel and I'm the outlier - I totally get.

Tag-Team CX - It's okay, but I'm not a huge fan of this. One thing I like about policy is that you should know what you are talking about. I don't mind the occasional help, but if you keep answering every question, it makes your partner look like a tool. And even if they are, you probably don't want to show that they are in front of judges.

Arguments I like: I have always felt that the more you know about what a judge likes and dosn't like is essential to winning debate rounds, so to make it easier on you, these are the type of arguments that I prefer to be seen run.

Case Debate - this is a lost art in the debate community. Why as a negative are you granting them their harms and their solvency? If you can have some solid arguments against their case and point out the serious flaws in them, that will help you weight your DA's, K's and CP's over them.

Economic DA's - I have an economic background and like Econ DA's as long as they are run correctly. Generic spending DA's are usually not run correctly.

There are other DA's, but those usually vary by each year, but as long as you have a solid link to the case, you should be good to go.

Arguments I'm not wild about: Again, the more you know, the better off you will be. Once you read this list does it mean to absolutely not run these arguments - no. What it means is that you better run them better than most teams who run the crappy versions of them. I'll vote for these arguments (and have lots of times) - I'm just not wild about them.

Politics DA's - I've changed a lot on these and used to hate them but realize the strategic advantage of them. That being said, not my biggest fan, but have voted for a lot of them over the years

K's Read at blazing speed - I don't mind some K's, but most of the authors that debaters cite go so beyond the realm of what is possible to discuss in a debate round that they end up bastardizing the entire theory they are supposidly trying to use. Also, if I haven't researched and read the material, how can I evaluate it if you are reading it at a blazzingly fast speed. I don't mind K's, but I'd like to understand them, so please, assume I haven't read the theory - because I probably haven't.

Performance - this is just my inexperience with performance. I've probably only judged it a couple of times, so if you do performance, I may not understand how to evaluate it and might default to the policy framework - so you need to make sure to explain to me the role of the ballot and my role in the debate. I have voted for Performance affs and discourse affs - again, more inexperience than anything makes me put this in the category of things I'm not wild about.

As always, I'm open to questions before the round if you have any other specifics. All in all, I like good debates - if you can argue well and clash with each other, I really don't care what is argued - as long as it is argued well!

---[ Key Points ]---

Philosophy: Tabula Rasa, flow judge, and Key arguments tend to decide

Speed: Moderate / Sub-spread (250-350 WPM)

Case: Should be shared either in physical copy or digitally. Don't care how many contentions there are.

Tigger Warnings: Should be checked pre-round for sensitive material and ready to be switched out

---[ Personal Info ]---

Pronouns: (They/Them)

Email: Martin.Kloster@jacks.sdstate.edu

Experience: Policy, PF, LD, World Schools, and Big Questions. I also have experience in Oral Interp (Drama, Humorous, Duo, Readers Theatre), theatre, and Extempt. Fourth year judging.

Education: Junior at SDSU majoring in Sociology and minoring in Philosophy / Comp Sci. I have a good grasp on most of the concepts discussed in round.

Online ballots tend to be long and specific, and are filled out as a tournament goes on. I enter the results first, then update comments until all of my notes are down or I run out of time. If a ballot is blank or incomplete - or if there are any questions - then email me and I will do my best to communicate my RFD, notes, flow, and/or make clarifications.

---[ General Information ]---

/ Evidence /

I expect transparency first and foremost. If evidence is asked for it must be provided within one minute, after that prep time must be used. If evidence can't be provided then it will be dropped, and debaters can choose to drop evidence at any point in the round. Evidence should be linked back to the source material as a link or to the full text. Evidence should be a text document (word, google docs) or pdf because of paywalls and highlighting/marking. For summarized evidence, relevant text should be in some way marked or noted. Logic based arguments don't need sourcing or evidence. I prefer that a copy of the case is shared, but this is not required unless asked. The best way to share evidence and cases is through an email chain and the second best is through https://speechdrop.net/. This should be configured before the round.

/ Speed and Performance /

I have audio processing disorder and ADHD, so I can't keep up with full on spreading. I prefer moderate/sub-spread speed (250-350 wpm). Articulation and volume is important and will allow for higher speeds. Sharing a copy of the case will allow me to make up for the Audio Processing Disorder, meaning that I have an easier time judging and the debaters have better judging on their cases.

/ Default Weighing Preferences /

Pre-fiat K > T = Theory > Post-fiat K > Case

Don't get abusive with spikes and blips.

/ Kritiks /

Running K's:

I love K's when they are properly argued. Running K's have risks, and I expect them to be run well. K's are highly technical to set up and run, and it can end up falling apart with a simple mistake. The best way to mitigate risking a round is to be careful and/or fall back if the K fails. I also need signposting or communication that it is a K so I can judge it accordingly.

Defending against K's:

A debater should at least be prepared with generic defense. If you can get to the heart of the K and argue on that, you can probably beat it. One caution: arguing that the K is abusive without without warrants will fail. The more prepped a debater is against an argument, the less I will weigh limits abuse.

/ Theory /

I will weigh theory if it's argued well. Proper Theory arguments with good impacts will do well. I dislike Framers intent but do enjoy Topicality arguments as a whole.

/ Arguments /

I have biases like anyone else, but I make sure not to vote on them. Because I feel it is important for transparency to state them, I have listed them below....

I love hearing Marxist, Anarchist, Feminist, Critical Race Theory, Decolonization, Queer Theory, etc. Generally won't care about Econ arguments unless they are tied into impacts on living beings or have a framework to make it important. I Passively dislike Heg and Realism arguments, but am still willing to listen. Again: I will vote almost anything with solid warrants and argumentation.

/ Trigger Warnings /

Trigger Warnings should be given prior to the speech and before the round if it is in the case. If an opponent or judge is unable to interact with the sensitive material, a back up should be prepared or the point should be dropped. If you have the foresight and understanding to check about material before use I expect alternatives to be prepared.

/ Variations /

I weigh and judge Novice differently than I do Varsity, and am more strict with how K's are ran in state.

---[ Lincoln-Douglas / Policy ]---

Tabula Rasa jduge. I am loosely attached to the rules unless they have good warrants. Debate is socially constructed for the benefit of the students, and as such it should be up to the students to construct it however they want. NSDA rules work for me, but if debaters want to argue that a rule or structure is wrong then I'll follow along. I just need good arguments.

In the round, I put whether or not the debaters themselves are respected first. This means that competitors should attack the arguments and not the opponents. A light degree would result in lower speaker points, and egregious cases will be met with a vote down. If a round needs to be put on a hold because of an anxiety or a panic attack, I'll do whatever I can to accommodate - I just need some notification.

While I'm not technical about the rules (unless it is brought to the center of a debate), I am technical when it comes to the ideas and arguments within a round. In my ballots I'll try to point out exactly where I think weaknesses are in the case or arguments, but I won't vote on these unless they are either touched on in the debate or I'm forced at the end of the round to make connections because of a wash. I am open to any arguments as long as there are good warrants, links, and they don't actively degrade people. K's are great with a good link, but also I am perfectly willing to do whatever with the ballot if both competitors agree and it actively furthers education (Ex: Using the rest of the debate to talk about an issue that is affecting the real world). Run something fun that you care about it. Odds are I'll follow along with it and prefer that over something that is strictly strategic. Make debate a fun experience.

High Speaks - Respectful yet assertive debate. Compelling ideas and good argumentation will improve your position. 30 if I think that the round betters debate as an activity.

Low Speaks - Abusive arguments or showing a lack of care. Very low Speaks for being abusive to opponents.

---[ Public Forum ]---

I have a debate background, so I understand jargon and will judge off the flow. Good arguments and understanding what is being argued will lead to a win. Don't be afraid of running frameworks and resolutional analyses, because I will take them into consideration and they will make an impact.

---[ Extempt ]---

Questions should have a clear answer with convincing points. Timing to me is important, but usually not a deciding factor. I will weigh information density and quality over performance, but only margianally so (it can be a tie breaker). In person I will turn my laptop around so that the competitor can see the time and I don't need to worry about missing a time signal.

Policy

I still believe debate is a communication event. I do not like rounds consisting of throwing as much as humanly possible at the proverbial wall and hoping that something will stick. Debaters should focus on well-reasoned arguments that actually apply to the case being debated. If I can't understand what is being debated because of speed or because it isn't clearly explained, I will not consider it in my decision. I do not prefer kritiks or other random theory arguments. I will vote as a stock issues or policy maker judge.

LD

I am a traditional LD judge. I like to hear a value and contentions that apply to the value and the resolution. Communication is important to me. Debaters should weigh arguments and tell me why they should win the round.

Public Forum

Debaters should communicate and run arguments that clash with those of the other team. I flow arguments and do consider drops, but debaters need to point out which issues are most important. The final focus for each team should be where the debaters frame the round and tell me why I should vote for them. I expect debaters to be polite.