Add me to the email chain: thenateisgreat@icloud.com

Backup email: thenateisgreat@gmail.com

Nathan Brown, Peninsula 24'

Pronouns: he/him/his

Novice stuff (applies to everyone since I'm only judging middle school/novice anyway):

If you use google docs I'd recommend watching this video before the round: https://youtu.be/OXc7-GAyYOw

If you are unfamiliar with what an email chain is/how to operate one, please watch this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGu6MOEDNeI'

Time your speeches, please!!! Also, time your opponents' speeches.

2nr/2ar should predict the most important things in the debate and make sure they win those, which is a prerequisite to judge instruction. 2ns should not spread themselves too thin in the 2nr or that makes it tough for me to vote on anything when I have too many options but not enough substance.

Top Level:

Call me whatever you want, Nathan, Nate, judge Nate, Nate dogg, etc. I won't vote on what you call me.

I try my best to be a fair judge, but if you don't understand the argument, please don't read it.

Your camera should be on, don't steal prep. If your camera is off, you should be letting me know what you are doing so I don't think you're stealing prep (i.e. sending out the doc). I will keep my camera on during the debate unless something unexpected comes up, so if I'm not visible on camera make sure I'm there.

Recording the debate is allowed and encouraged, it will help you get better.

Clarity over speed, but beware of the dangers of excessive speed and online debate. Relying on the power of your wifi and my wifi is risky, but if it cuts out for a significant amount of time I'll let you know and we can re-start from the timestamp.

Join rounds ASAP, disclose ASAP.

Tech over truth, dropped arguments are true, though whether or not the argument was truly "dropped" can be contested based on the previous speech. Open cross-x good, it's ok to ask a quick question of the other team during your prep, I believe the other team should answer those questions.

Policy:

Aff:

I've been a 2N basically my whole debate career; only run policy affs

I'm not more biased toward soft-left affs vs big-stick affs but know that soft-left affs usually come with the burden of winning framing. I'll vote for them if your framing is sufficient, but I will default to extinction first unless you tell me why to prioritize your impacts. I will never assign zero warrant or risk to extinction, but framing is a good way to mitigate their offense and bolster your impacts, but don't rely on solely framing to take out the neg's impacts. I'm only going to believe that there's an extremely low risk of the DA if you are actually winning some defense against it. Read whatever impact you want, especially nuanced impacts that can't be impact-turned. Also, I don't mind long internal link chains as long as they are logical and "follow-able".

No new 1ar answers unless it's to new impacts/offense in the block of course. If you manage to hide new 1ar answers disguised as extrapolations of 2ac answers, good for you.

Planless affs:

I don't think K affs in middle school/novice debate is a common thing, that's good. If you do read a planless aff, just know I do not have much experience with these but I will hold it to a high standard. I think fairness and clash are good, strong impacts so that makes your burden high. You have to prove to me why the ballot has the role you assign it in the debate, and why that role is good. I will default to the interpretation that the ballot is to communicate which team did the better debating to tabroom unless thoroughly persuaded otherwise.

Neg:

Dissads: Great, this is probably the neg strat you learned how to debate with. A dissad has to be complete, it needs uniqueness, link, impact. Just reading a single generic link card in your 1nc is not enough. Of course, aff-specific links are great, but you can defend generic links too. Make sure you're reading a dissad that still has uniqueness. (i.e. don't read senate elections if they're over)

Counterplans: CPs are good, make sure you have a net benefit. If the net benefit is internal, it's your burden to extend that along with the counterplan. If the net benefit is external (i.e. a dissad), then extend that through the 2nr. It's not a net benefit if it isn't extended into the last speech.

CP theory's a reason to reject the arg. (except condo)

PICs that pic out of a fundamental part of the aff are good. How legitimate your pic is is up for debate.  I don't like "should" competition (who does?)

Adv CPs are good, plank abuse might change my mind

Process CPs are probably bad

I think conditionality is probably good, but if you lose it, it's still a voter. For the aff, it will be a lot to convince me condo is bad, but if they're being extremely abusive with it in-round, that's reason to vote aff.  

Topicality: Affs should be T. Impacts are important. Also, make sure you extend your interp. It's easier to win T arguments that aren't super limiting and I tend to side with T interps that are specific and clearly exclude the aff's mechanism. It is the neg's burden to prove why the aff doesn't meet their interp, I am especially inclined to vote on the we meet if the neg reads a vague interp.

Kritik: I can't stress this enough, you're probably in middle school if you're reading this, so please only read Ks that you can understand and defend. Reading blocks and never responding to the neg arguments on the K is not a good debate. I believe you should also defend the theoretical/framework reasons to vote for the K, though I am generally reluctant to vote on "you link you lose" unless the neg is clearly and thoroughly ahead on framework. That being said, root cause claims or "our impact makes theirs inevitable" are arguments I believe help mitigate case well. Long overviews are overrated - get to substance.

FW v K affs:

The aff has the burden of convincing me why their interp of what debate should be outweighs any neg offense, and that means responding to neg arguments thoroughly and explaining why your view of debate is better, because I will assume debate is a competitive game going into a round. I love clever neg add-ons or dissads on the FW or T flow. Fairness is an intrinsic good and probably the best impact to go for. Try to explain why you access more offense with FW than they do with a ballot. It's not hard to convince me that my ballot can only remedy procedural unfairess.

=Assorted Theory

ASPEC: prefer not, I'll vote on it if it's clearly warranted in the 1NC and (functionally) dropped by the aff

Disclosure Theory: I think disclosure is really important in a debate. That being said, it's a hard ballot to write unless there is proof that the aff purposefully evaded disclosing their aff before the round. Provide proof they refused disclosure and I'll hear you out, but for it to be a ballot it's gotta be extended heavily in block/2nr.

Condo: above, under "counterplans"

LD:

I do not have much experience with LD, but please refer to the "Top Level" section of my paradigm. If I am judging you for LD, you probably are just starting so don't stress out in round and have fun.

Peninsula Debate 2019-2021

Damien Debate 2021-2022

Top Level Stuff

Tech>Truth but truth doesn't hurt.

Offense/defense - zero risk only exists for theory.

An argument without warrants isn't an argument.

Dropped warrants are true - you still need some explanation to extend them though.

Neg on theory - infinite condo's good, judge kick, etc. Sole exception here is that while perf con obviously isn't a voter, I become very skeptical of certain "epistemology first/reps first" K framework arguments.

Inserts are fine.

Fairness is an impact.

Bias/Ideological Leanings

I'm a lot better for Ks v policy affs than I was a year ago, as they have become my most common 2NR. I especially have a soft spot for psychoanalysis as a security K. I don't have a predisposed opinion on framework (on the aff or neg) that can't be reversed with good debating (if you win that I shouldn't weigh the aff then I shouldn't weigh the aff, and vice versa).

Nevertheless, I always love and am familiar with classic policy arguments.

I'm probably not great for you if you read a K Aff, even simply on a level of familiarity, although I will do my best to adjudicate without bias.

Novice Notes

Try to only use word documents.

Don't say a count down before speeches.

Give an order of what FLOWS you'll be going to (ie "Case in the order of advantage one, then two. The X CP. The X DA").

peninsulalailai@gmail.com

Peninsula '24

Novices, remember these things:

Do line by line. Try to answer your opponents' arguments in the order they made them.

Extend your offense first. This means if you're aff, extend your advantages first. If you're neg, extend your disadvantages first. Defense (responding to your opponents' offense) comes later.

I have found two extremes with evidence. In half of the debates I judge, cards get forgotten. In the other half, cards are overemphasized and rebuttals are referring to cites instead of making the actual argument. Remember to find a balance where you explain your arguments, but refer to authors to support your arguments.

Understand the arguments you are making. I understand it's easy to read the files your varsity teammates gave you, but really try to understand, please.

Ask questions!

Peninsula '24

Add me to the email chain: peninsulalailai@gmail.com

I would prefer if you added me to the email chain: jinuleonam@gmail.com

I am a sophomore at Palos Verdes Peninsula High school who has debated starting in middle school.

Please disclose at least 20 minutes before the round if there is evidence of bad disclosure I will be more sympathetic to theory

General information for rounds: Open cross is fine just don't talk over your partner, spreading is cool but don't sacrifice clarity for speed, always tech>truth in debates I will vote on literally any argument (Death K, Spark, Impact turning Ks) this does not mean I endorse the arguments. Extending an argument is not just saying the tag but fully re-explaining all parts of it.

Please give an order at the top of a speech and signpost

I really enjoy watching you clash with your opponent's arguments and compare evidence meaningfully

Don't assume I understand all your jargon, explain arguments well

I'm fine with sass cursing etc to an extent (please don't be racist, sexist, homophobic)

Cross ex: please be respectful of everyone if you are overly aggressive you will lose speaks and credibility

T: I will only vote on T if you make a specific argument with examples of in-round abuse. Out of the impacts on T I am generally most persuaded by fairness (this applies for framework against K affs as well). Please fully extend Interp violation standards and voters don't just scream they dropped ez dubs.

CP: When reading abusive CPs (certain process cps, annoying PICs that steal offense, technical pseudo net benefits) I will become much more sympathetic to theory and intrinsic perms against that CP so be careful. I generally am not convinced by condo would not recommend going for it unless there was clear abuse or it was dropped.

DA: Nothing special here just make sure your link work is strong. Impact comparison is underutilized in the last speeches. Fully extend links impacts I link through the entire debate.

K: I will not consider Ks if you don't explain the link work well. When running your kritik please explain everything clearly if I don't hear a link specific to the aff or I have no idea what the alt does I will not vote. Avoid spamming buzz words especially when answering cross ex it shows you don't understand your own kritik.

K - Affs: I am biased against them but if you believe in your cause and show clear understanding and care you might win me over.

Speaks: Innovative or funny arguments are good and I will give you extra speaks for creativity

If you teach me a chess gambit for black side that I do not already know +0.1 speaks.

Senior at Peninsula

Pronouns: they/any

put me on the email chain thanks: derric.parker@gmail.com

Usually I decide rounds by

1) evaluating questions of the theoretical justifications for having the debate round/debates in general

2) within the lens of 1, evaluating questions of how I see debate generally/contribute towards a good model for debate in general

3) within the lens of 1 and 2, weighing the substantive/theoretical pieces of offense which each team has made and deciding who accesses the most/most important offense.

-Tech > truth

-Condo good

-Fiat is immediate

-Fairness is an I/L to truth testing, truth is tautologically a good thing to pursue

-Winning abuse means i reject the argument

General Stuff

- I read policy and french stuff, less well-versed in identity/cap stuff

- Affs should have a solvency advocate – I'll vote on death good or anti-debate, you just have to explain what voting aff implicates and why that’s preferable to what voting neg does

- (obviously) the less generic the disad link the better

- I see T as a disad vs. policy affs and a counterplan vs. K affs

-“Rebuttal speeches should be closing doors not opening more” -Dylan Barsoumian

For your speaker points

Auditory ethos is infinitely more important than visual ethos (I wrote this before online debate but its more true now), so please be clear, don’t hum-spread, and emphasize when saying important stuff

you don’t need to call me judge

usefordebate1@gmail.com

Spreading is fine as long as you're clear, still fairly new to judging, currently debating mostly substance, not too informed on K-style debates but I'll try to follow it, just explain the links very clearly and articulate the neg story. Theory and T are fine, just don't be frivolous and I generally buy drop the arg for anything except Condo. The base for speaks will be 28, +0.1 for being funny. -0.2 if you fail to be funny. I don't vote on tricks and do impact calc on the 2nr and 2ar. Tech > Truth but I don't buy fake or racist arguments, and if you run racist args you're getting the lowest speaks.

Give an order before your speeches.

Do impact calc at the top of the 2nr and 2ar- explain your args.

Don't read random blocks, contextualize your arguments for what your opponents are reading

Cameras on if tech permits.

我喜欢冰淇淋

K vs K debates will be decided by the debaters fighting to the death

Disclosure outweighs

Print a highlighted copy of every speech and hand it to me before each speech

Any swearing of any kind will result in a penectomie

Inequality outweighs will not be flowed

My email is zhueric.vv@gmail.com, add me to your email chains.

I've done PF for 2 years , Policy for 1.5-2 years, and LD for a bit less than a year.

If you spread make sure you've shared your evidence with your opponent and me, and articulate your words such that your speeches are reasonably coherent. If your speech is unclear I'll say "clear" once and after that dock speaks. I won't vote on arguments that I can't understand or ones that aren't explained.

Don't worry about the length of your speeches, as long as you don't have 1/3rd or more of your time left when you sit down I won't dock speaks.

I would prefer if you signposted but it's not mandatory. It's easiest for me to flow top down but that doesn't work if you don't clarify which argument you're answering.

I don't really care what you read (as long as it's not blatantly offensive) if it is linked and weighed in relation to some structure of evaluation.

Weigh stuff.

During prep, asking questions is fine. I'd prefer if you didn't use cross as prep. Time your prep and write down how much you have left. Don't steal prep.

No making new arguments in the 2NR/2AR.

Be respectful to your opponent, just have a nice clean debate (please) and you can do you.

If you have further questions email me or just ask me before the round begins.