I have 3 years of experience competing in Public Forum debate in high school. I mainly want to see comparative weighing of arguments and evidence, especially in the final two speeches. I would prefer to see analysis driven debate rather than evidence dumps. Speed isn't really an issue as long as you speak clearly. If you have any questions for me please feel free to ask before the round.

I debated all 4 years in highschool. I debated at Millard West High School in Omaha Nebraska. I competed at plenty of tournaments in Nebraska and the national circuit. I've competed at T.O.C, Blake, nationals, and was state champion in Nebraska in PF.

I EXPECT THE SECOND REBUTTAL TO COVER BOTH SIDES! By this I mean that the second rebuttal must attack their opponents case, and defend their own case from their attacks from the first rebuttal. IF THE SECOND TEAM DOES NOT DO THIS, AND THE FIRST TEAM POINTS IT OUT IN SUMMARY THEN THE SECOND TEAM AUTOMATICALLY LOSSES! In my eyes not covering both sides is dropping your case. You have dropped all your opponents attacks and therefore it is too late to cover them in second summary.

Also new evidence in second summary is ify especially if its a new point.

EVIDENCE IS A BIG DEAL TO ME. I WILL CALL FOR CARDS AFTER THE ROUND IF THEY ARE IMPORTANT OR WHERE HOTLY DEBATED IN ROUND. If the card is shady, has poor methodology, or has any problems I will most likely not consider the evidence.

I like real world examples, and cross-applying. Warrants and impacts must be likely and probable. Speaking I dont really care. I debated four years so I can handle speed. Summary is a summary sign post, summarize the points, and dont do a rebuttal part 2.

I am the new head debate coach at Burke High School in Omaha. I am also new to the debate world, so please know that I may not be fluent in all debate related verbiage. As such, I would consider myself a laymen at this point and thus keep in this in mind if am to be your judge.

She/her

Assistant Coach at Lincoln Southwest

Debated for 3 years on NE circuit

I don’t like speed so please slow down

I don't like theory and progressive arguments but I will evaluate it as best as I can

I especially don't like theory in PF :)

As a Black judge please do not have any kumbaya (easy solvency) racism arguments. If you run racism, you need have clear links & warrants

Assume that I am not well versed in the topic so explain everything.

USE MUST TAKE PREP TIME TO READ EVIDENCE!

If you don't have a clear link, you don't get access to your impacts

I prefer if second speaker rebuilds in their rebuttal, but if you have good coverage/ cross analysis/ rebuild in summary you won't be penalized

I am not huge on card dumps and numbers being thrown around; if you want me to buy into your card/argument, I expect you to explain what the number or card means. Tell me why I should be voting for you based on your evidence (you need to do more than cite the name). Please do not misconstrue your evidence

(!!!) IMPACT- some of the best rounds are lost because teams do not impact (weighing is equally as important, make the decision for me). I absolutely hate lazy impacts such as extinction, climate change, & recession (having big numbers doesn't mean you'll win the round). Be creative!

I am here to make sure everyone has a fun, safe and exciting experience with debate. Any hateful or blatantly racist, transphobic/homophobic, sexist, etc arguments will not be weighed in the round.

If you have any questions at all, just ask! I am open to helping anyone with their debate skills and ideas, no matter your success or failure. You can reach out any time, regardless if I have judged you or not :)

Good luck!

Hello Debaters! My name is Omaima Lado (Oh-My-Muh Luh-Doo). I competed in debate for 3 years in the Nebraska Circuit. I’ve done Congressional debate, Policy, and Public Forum. Currently, I’m a student at University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a Congress coach at Lincoln Southwest High School.

Congress: To get a 6 (in no particular order) 1. Be loud and project! 2. Eye contact 3. Good evidence and Citations 4. Hand gestures 5. Close to 3mins or 3:10 6. Refutation/Furthering the debate

Policy: I like traditional policy debates, not a big fan of abstract theory args and Ks unless absolutely necessary. I won’t be upset if you do, but if you choose to run a K/Theory please explain it well. (I ran a lot of trad arguments in hs but I am familiar with most popular Ks) (Just treat me like a lay judge that is okay with some speed and debate jargon)

Public Forum: This is an event I really like to judge. The biggest thing I’m looking for besides good args evidence and overall debating is a clear extension of your impacts/contentions. Don’t get caught up on constantly telling me why I shouldn’t vote for the other team and tell my why I should vote for you as well.

This paradigm is rather short so feel free to email or ask me questions before round

email: omaimalado21@gmail.com

*Please be respectful of others debaters. I value decorum and kindness in ALL events.

-run theory on me and see what happens. actually idk what would happen

-Medical Student at University of Nebraska Medical Center, University of Nebraska Lincoln 2020 graduate with bachelor's in Biochemistry

-Debated 4 years in Nebraska circuit PF, competed at NSDA nationals, 7th year judging PF

-Speak as fast as you want to but I can only type so fast

-Run whatever i don't care but I am not knowledgable on progressive debate

-I usually browse the internet/shut my brain off during crossfires

-Second rebuttal does not have to rebuild if they don't want to but obviously respond to arguments at some point

-I don't write down card names

-Any evidence/analysis that wants to be extended must be mentioned in all speeches post rebuttal. So extend defense from rebuttal to summary

-I don't want to see your cards after the round

-Asking for evidence in round is fine but the bane of my existence is when teams take 5 minutes to find one card

-Links, impacts, and weighing please and not just card dumps

-I reserve 30s for genuinely amazing performances, but I will probably give most solid debaters 29.5

-You can ask me before round if there's anything else you should know about my judging style that was not written in my paradigm - the answer is no. You can ask me specific questions about my judging style but I have no substantive answers for broad questions

tonyleaiy1997@gmail.com for any questions

Hello, I do pf debate at lincoln east and primarily compete on the national circuit. Please add me to the email chain elliedebate@gmail.com

General thoughts:

Extend every part of the argument... uniqueness, link, internal link, and impact. And remember that a claim without a warrant is not an argument. If you don't extend your argument, I can't vote on it.

Fewer well developed arguments will always be better than blips with no argument development or good warrants.Teams that collapse and more thoroughly explain their arguments will win my ballot more often than a team that goes for too much.

Please weigh: (probability, timeframe/ prerequisites, and magnitude)

Second rebuttal must answer first rebuttal.

How I will evaluate debates:

Arguments:

I don’t really care what type of argument you read as long as it is well explained, has warrants, and is weighed. Do what you're best at and I'll judge it accordingly.

Speed:

You can go as fast or slow as you want, just be clear. I won't have any issue flowing any speed you decide to go.

Evidence:

I prefer you read cut cards, some debates are getting pretty out of hand with just paragraph dumps of paraphrased. Debate is an activity about high quality research not writing a persuasive english paper. If you paraphrase, you need to have the cut cards ready at a minimum.

A card is not cut if it does not have a complete and correct cite as well as the important/ cited parts of the card being emphasized.

Evidence should be able to be sent when ask for in a timely manner. If it is not sent quickly it may be dropped from the debate

He/him/his or judge works

Public Forum Coach at Lincoln Southwest for the past 3 years, debated for 4 years on NE circuit, competed at NSDA Nationals

Feel free to send evidence/case chains to spethmansam@gmail.com

I prefer if second speaker rebuilds in their rebuttal, but if you have good coverage/ cross analysis/ rebuild in summary you won't be penalized.

Summary and final focus should mirror each other: be consistent in your story and impacts

I am not huge on card dumps and numbers being thrown around; if you want me to buy into your card/argument, I expect you to explain what the number or card means. Tell me why I should be voting for you based on your evidence (you need to do more than cite the name)

(!!!) IMPACT- some of the best rounds are lost because teams do not impact (weighing is equally as important, make the decision for me). At the end of the round I want to see clear voting points that have been pulled through consistently.

If you choose to run progressive arguments/theory-- please do so in a way that is accessible to all. I have limited experience with these ideas in debate but am totally willing to listen if everything is clearly explained and brought into the debate at an appropriate time. However, I am not keen on teams running theory as a tactic to confuse their opponents; I don't see it as making debate inclusive and accessible to all.

I am here to make sure everyone has a fun, safe and exciting experience with debate. Any hateful or blatantly racist, transphobic/homophobic, sexist, etc arguments will not be weighed in the round.

If you have any questions at all, just ask! I am open to helping anyone with their debate skills and ideas, no matter your success or failure. You can reach out any time, regardless if I have judged you or not :)

Good luck!

I use she/her/hers pronouns.

Debate Background: I did four years of PF debate at Lincoln North Star from 2016-2020 in the NE circuit, I also did a brief stint of LD and some Congress. I now assistant coach PF at Lincoln Southeast High School. This is my first year consistently judging.

Disclaimer: I won't tolerate any exclusionary or hateful rhetoric. Debate is a fun and educational experience, and should be a safe and accessible space for all students.

Debate Substance/Content: Whatever arguments you read, clearly show me how your impacts outweigh compared to your opponents. If all your args are warranted, have clear links, and are extended, that's how you'll win my ballot. I'll only weigh the topic substance that is in your case and rebuttal, so don't waste your time by bringing up a new argument halfway through the round. I don't flow extremely specific numbers/card names, just what it all means, so don't waste too much time doing this either. The better use of your time is focusing on the impact, rather than the actual numbers themselves.

***Substance Exceptions: I don't care much for disclosure/debate theory. I don't really think it has a place in PF so I wouldn't suggest running these arguments with me because I'm not going to weigh it. I won't consider disclosure theory unless it's absolutely necessary. I'm not all too familiar with progressive arguments so I wouldn't entirely suggest this either. If you run a progressive/LD-type argument, make them extremely clear.

Debate Etiquette: I can handle any speed, just make sure you enunciate. If you choose to spread though, keep in mind I can only write so fast. Clearly state your impact at the very end of your response so it's the last thing I hear/it secures its spot on my flow. I like simple off-time roadmaps, such as "aff, neg, impacts" etc. This is generally how I think the debate should go.

-Case

-Rebuttal: All your responses/blocks and rebuilding your case if time. Basically, new stuff then old stuff.

-Summary: Extending all your new and old args/impacts of the round and why you outweigh.

-Final Focus: REALLY telling me why you outweigh, with the same args/impacts from summary.

***I don't care for any rudeness, sarcasm, or dominating time during cross. I think it's really distasteful and I'll dock you speaking points. Please have your stuff organized, I get a bit annoyed when anyone takes longer than usual to find a card to exchange during prep.

RFDs: I typically only include a brief RFD when I submit my ballot, but I try my best to give extensive feedback by the end of the tournament. I'm always open to questions at the end of the round if you'd like more explanation on anything.

Good luck and have fun!

My name is Jarred Williams. I graduated from the University of Nebraska - Lincoln in May of 2021, majoring in Political Science and minoring in English, and will be heading to law school in the Fall of 2023. I currently working as a commercial developer. I graduated from Lincoln Southwest High School in 2017 and competed in PF all 4 years of high school.

Do:

- use all of your allotted time in each speech

- quote your sources directly, and then provide a brief explanation of what it means and how it works under your argument(s).

- Use all of your prep time.

Do not:

- cut off your opponents during crossfire.

- turn your summaries and final focuses into extended rebuttals. Rebuttals are used to address all points of clash in the round (effectively whittling down the round to the main points), summaries are used to "summarize" these main points of clash in the round and your argument and evidence you have to go along with those points, and the final focus is a brief persuasive type of speech used to explain to the judge why they'll be voting for you.

Win the flow. As simple as that.

In terms of your constructive arguments or "original case":

I don't mind "creative" contentions so long as they are properly supported. This means that your primary contentions only need to be tangentially related, so long as you provide a cognizable link to the resolution. It is your opponent's job to raise a valid defense, call irrelevance, or reframe the more important arguments.

This gives you a lot of freedom to implement "more interesting" arguments. However, this is not a pass to present truly abusive or wholly non-topical arguments.

In terms of responding to your opponent's case:

I will vote for whoever wins the flow. Therefore, I like when debater's roadmap clearly and give explicit voters. I don't count roadmaps against a debater's time so long as they are less than 30 seconds.

I will not flow an argument in your favor unless you tell me why I should. Conversely, if your opponent drops a contention completely, I won't flow it in your favor unless you tell me to. I firmly believe that it is the judge's job to flow all arguments, but it is not the judge's job to debate/argue in their mind for you.

Speed:

I personally cannot handle that much speed. I can listen to you when you talk a little fast but, keep in mind a judge can't flow what I can't understand. If you choose to talk fast you have to enunciate your words. If you are talking too fast I will say clear. If you choose to continue at that speed I will say clear again. If I still am unable to flow and understand you then I will drop my pen and stop flowing until I am able to understand you.

Logistics:

Pre-flow before you come into the room. Keep your own time. If you don't already have the time constraints and speech order memorized, make sure to write it down before we start.

Cross-examination/Crossfire:

I don't care if you sit during these. In PF, I prefer teams to alternate asking and answering questions (unless it's a very brief follow-up). If not, a lot of unnecessary time gets taken up by asking/negotiating who is going to take the next question.

Have fun and be civil.