Intro

Pronouns: He/Him

I did DX and LD for Pflugerville HS from 2013 to 2017.I could be described back then as mainly a traditional debater, but don’t let that discourage you from being progressive. There were certain tournaments where depending on the topic I had to read K,DAs, T, basically the whole gamut. I always admired this community for the ability to advocate for yourself and others and I see this activity as having the ability gain new perspectives about the challenges facing our world. Last time I judged around was 2017 as well, so I don’t know if there’s been any new strategies since, but I’m excited for having the opportunity to give back to a community that has given me so much.

Guidelines

I know usually the paradigm sheet is filled with a bunch of do’s or don’ts but I’ll try to make this as simple as possible. At the very core of every round there needs to be a level of respect. Yes you are competing against each other but any discriminatory or hateful language will not be tolerated and will factor into speaks. As for strats to me it doesn’t really matter what you run as long as you provide a concrete justification. Too many times people will read things just to see what sticks, but there has to be a clear intent as to how it functions in the round. If there’s any questions, feel free to ask me before the round on specific issues.

As for speaks, there really isn’t a strict scale that I would use. Pretty much as long as you’re being respectful and clear in the debate you’ll get atleast a 28.5 or higher. Depending on the tournament as long as they allow it, I will disclose results and speaker points and willing to provide any feedback.

I’m fine with speed. I will say clear if I need you to slow down a bit, but it’s very rare.

What is here isn’t an all inclusive list so please don’t hesitate to ask any questions! I look forward to hearing great debates and wish each of you well in this activity and in life :)

My experience is 2 years in PF and 4 years in speech. Specifically, Oratory and IE's.

Hello, I am Daniella and I have been debating since 2015. I debated LD in my first year of high school and competed in many rigorous tournaments. I competed as a CX debater my last three years of high school and was district champion in my region and went to compete at the state tournament from 2017-2019. I used to be a college debater for the University of Texas at Austin. I work as a judge for UIL, TFA, and Great Communicator. I plan to attend law school after I earn my bachelor's degree at the University of Texas at Austin.

Add me on the email chain: daniella.cuellar25@gmail.com

My Paradigms for Policy Debate:

I am a policymaker judge and I tend to take the theoretical viewpoint of a "policymaker," and as such, I will vote on which side presents the best policy option. I vote heavily on disadvantages and counter-plans, and on kritiks. The basic policy of this paradigm is the weighing of the affirmative's advantages versus the negative's disadvantages. I will essentially vote on which world is better to theoretically live in, so impact analysis is a must for me to evaluate which team will win.

Theory: Theory args are unacceptable for me to vote on unless you can CLEARLY articulate a scenario for abuse. Otherwise, I probably won't flow it because I'll just feel like one of the teams is using theory as a last resort.

T: T debates are fine, if a good case could be made on a T argument I will vote on it. I would like an emphasis on standards and voters.

Counterplans: Counterplans are cool, make sure they’re competitive, make sure there’s a net benefit. However, counter plans like word PICs aren’t my favorite arguments to vote on, but I’ll vote on them if you articulate a net benefit.

Disadvantages: This is my favorite negative argument in the debate, make sure your disads are either net benefits to the CP or are packaged with some case turns/impact defense.

THE KRITIK: If K’s are run by the negative team they MUST prove how the alt will solve with a good link story. I competed in high school as a cap debater, so if the neg decides to run it they should be warned that I get extremely critical on it because of my familiarity and experience. Nonetheless of a K is run, the neg team must make sure the alternative can resolve the impacts of the case.

Case: Case debates are really underrated, but do what you have to do for your negative strategies. I like to hear teams read on impact defense. This is the traditional aspect of the debate and I really like it when debaters show me the flaws of another card.

Impacts: I really like comparative impact calc because it makes resolving debates much easier for me. Questions of magnitude, timeframe, and probability are important and you should talk about those, but take it to the next level and talk about how your impacts interact with each other.

My Paradigms for LD Debate:

I can follow complex philosophical arguments well, but it's probably best to assume that I don't know the lit for everyone's benefit. Frameworks that use util/deontological norms of LD are my favorite, but I would love to see the debaters challenge themselves with other unconventional values. Make sure you actually know how the value works before you use them in the round.

Ks: Ks are decent when they're done well, but I wouldn't recommend running one of them if it won't be clear for everyone. Don't assume I know the literature, explaining is everything! I might know it, I might have run it, but I still want you to explain the theory anyway in a way that someone who is less acquainted can understand. Make sure you do the necessary work on the link and alt level. I want to know exactly what the link is and how it applies to the aff (where applicable) and I want to know exactly what the alt does and what it looks like.

Theory: Not a fan, but if run well I am more than willing to listen and vote on it.

Plans/CPs: Love them, but make sure counterplans are competitive. Perms are a test of competition.

Speaking:

I'm usually okay with spreading but since we are online and there's bound to be a slow connection, I am less tolerant of it so please be fair to the other team and speak at a pace everyone can understand. Accommodate for virtual debate. If you think something is important, slow down. Please don't be rude during cross-examination or points will be docked off, to an extent, it includes repetitive interrupting but the person in question also can't speak forever on an answer because I will recognize they're just trying to waste the time of their opponent. Nonetheless, have fun and be kind! :)

Senior at the University of Texas at Austin '24

Email chain: david.do.6375@gmail.com and (CX only) hawkcxdebate@gmail.com

Overview

– None of this applies to PF or other formats besides Policy/CX and LD.

– Tech over truth in most cases. I won't evaluate an argument without a warrant, even if it's completely unanswered. I will not evaluate arguments like racism good, ableism good, and any other wholly unethical and derogatory arguments. Additionally, arguments meant to be a meme or joke are inherently garbage. I will give you the lowest speaks for reading any of these arguments.

– I prefer contextualized arguments with specific warrants over anything else. Although I generally prefer high-quality evidence, issues from lack of evidence or poor-quality evidence can be resolved with good argumentation. I do normally read cards, but I leave explanations and comparison of evidence up to debaters. I mostly read cards to give comments/advice on how to better execute/answer a particular argument. I also don't want card docs. If you send a card doc, that email and doc will sadly be ignored and left unread in my inbox.

– I’m not the best for teams reading Kritikal arguments. I didn’t read a lot of Kritikal arguments in high school, which means that I don’t understand your arguments as well as most judges. If you do want to read a kritik and pref me, then structural kritiks like capitalism, militarism, and security and identity kritiks like anti-blackness, feminism, and queer theory are fine. Post-modern kritiks are really pushing my boundaries. However, you shouldn't over-adapt. I would much prefer you read arguments you're familiar with and are able to clearly articulate over arguments I understand. I will be able to follow along with what you're saying so long as you're properly explaining key components of your argument.

– I don't often vote on 0% risk of anything. Although I have voted on 0% risk of impacts or solvency in the past, this was mostly because aff/neg teams provided insufficient responses, rather the other side being so good at beating an argument into the ground. In a debate where both sides are sufficiently responding to each other's arguments, I default to impact calculus more than anything else.

– "Soft-Left" affs have become increasingly popular and common. I don't have an issue with these affs in general, but I do have an issue with 1ACs that have a short 3-4 card advantage with 5-minute-long framing contentions that include pre-empts like "no nuclear war", "[x] DA has [y]% risk", and "[z] thumped their DAs". Teams that read these 1ACs seem to have an aversion to debate. I have read these 1ACs in the past, so I understand the strategic utility of long framing contentions. However, I much prefer listening to 1ACs that have well-developed advantage and solvency contentions. I enjoy sifting through quality evidence that came from the topic literature base rather than evidence I can find in my backfiles. Additionally, I have been increasingly finding myself persuaded by aff indicts of extinction first frameworks. High-magnitude, low-probability events have increasingly silly and comical to me. That being said, the aff must still make defensive arguments to DAs and answer the specific extinction scenarios that the neg has made.

– Unlike most judges, I flow cross-ex. This doesn't mean I consider cross-ex a speech, rather I am taking notes of cross-ex. You don't need to go into detail about what happened during cross-ex during your speech. I will understand the reference and evaluate your use of cross-ex accordingly.

Topicality

– I generally default to competing interpretations over reasonability. I err towards reasonability when there isn't a coherent case list, a persuasive link to the limits disad, or high-quality evidence defending the interpretation. Reasonability is about the aff's counter-interpretation, not the aff.

– I'm not persuaded by "plan text in a vacuum". Just inserting the resolution into your plan text isn't enough to prove that the aff is topical. You have to prove your mechanism fits under the resolution.

– I have listened to debates on T-Taxes. I generally err aff that "fiscal redistribution" implies taxes or transfers. For the neg to win, the aff must either mishandle the Topicality debate or the neg has a spectacular reason that deficit spending should not be aff ground. I have yet to hear a spectacular reason that deficit spending should not be aff ground.

Framework

– Comparative impact calculus matters more than winning in-roads to the other side's offense. I am more likely to vote on "procedural fairness outweighs maximizing revolutionary education" over "switch-side debate solves the aff's offense." Winning turns and access to the other side's offense increases your chance of winning, but they aren't necessary to winning the debate. These arguments are inherently defensive and, alone, are not enough to win the debate.

– Recently, many negative teams have increasingly gone for clash and education as the impact in the 2NR. I find procedural fairness as a more persuasive impact than clash and education. Members of the debate community approach debate as if it were an academic game, which means the collapse of that game discourages further investment into the activity.

Kritiks

– Like most judges, I prefer case-specific links. Links frame the degree to which the neg gets all of their offense and K tricks on framework, the permutation, and the alternative. The more the link is about the broader structures that the aff engages in, the more likely I am to err aff on perm solvency of the links. I'm a sucker for 1AC quotes/re-highlights as proof of a link.

– Kritiks that push back on the aff's theory of the world require, at least in some part, case defense. Defense to the 1ACs impacts or solvency claims are useful to disprove the necessity of doing the aff. I'm more likely to be convinced that the aff has manufactured their threats and have engaged in militarist propaganda when you've proven the aff wrong about their scenarios. Absent sufficient case defense, extinction outweighs, and I vote aff.

– K tricks are fine. However, I won't give very high speaks if a debate is won or lost on them. I am not a fan of floating PIKs, especially if it's not clear until the 2NR.

Counterplans

– I absolutely love counterplans that come from re-cutting an internal link or solvency advocate of the 1AC. Even if your counterplan doesn’t come from their 1AC author, the more case specific it is, the more likely I am to reward you for it.

– Presumption flows towards the least change. I consider most CPs that are not PICs as a larger change than the aff.

– I will judge kick unless told otherwise. If I believe the CP links back to its net benefit or the permutation resolves the links to the net benefit, I will evaluate the net benefit independent of the CP.

Disadvantages

– DAs that rely on poor-evidence can be easily beaten without the 2AC ever reading new evidence against it. I am much more comfortable voting aff on "your uniqueness evidence is horrible" than 1% risk of a poorly carded DA. I am also very sympathetic to the 1AR making new arguments when the block reads new evidence to defend parts the 1NC poorly defended.

– The Economy DA has been incredibly popular in this topic. I'm an economics major, so I will generally understand the macroeconomic factors and theories that your authors are talking about. Just because I understand them does not mean you can simply name drop the theories as a response to your opponent's link or link turn. If anything, my understanding of these links and link turns means impacting out each individual link and link turn is far more important. At the end of these debates, I will still have a hard time evaluating each link and link turn because neither side has sufficiently explained the significance of their arguments.

Theory

– Most theory arguments are just reasons to reject the argument, except for condo. This is especially true when there isn’t any in-round abuse. Theory arguments that such as counterplans without solvency advocates, vague alts, etc. are reasons to be skeptical of the solvency of the counterplan or alt. They are rarely reasons to reject the team. Other theory arguments like PICs bad, floating PIKs bad, agent CPs bad, etc. are reasons to reject the counterplan or alt. These arguments can be reasons to reject the team, but only if the neg severely mishandles the theory debate and the 1AR and 2AR are really good on them. The same is true for theoretically suspect permutations.

– Process CPs have become increasingly popular. I generally err aff that Process CPs are bad and severance or intrinsic permutations are therefore justified.

– I think the most reasonable number of conditional worlds the neg should have is two. Three or four is pushing it. If the neg only reads advantage counterplans or kritiks specific to the 1ACs plan, then I lean neg on condo even if their counter-interpretation is an infinite number of worlds. So long as those worlds are both textually and functionally (or philosophically) competitive, then I’m good with it. Obviously, new affs also justify infinite conditionality.

– I don't vote on shotty theory arguments like ASPEC, Disclosure Theory, New Affs Bad, etc. unless they are dropped and properly impacted out.

Miscellaneous

– I will always disclose or give feedback after the round is over. Debaters will only improve if they are given proper feedback and the opportunity to ask questions about the round. I want to watch and enjoy good debates, but that can only happen when debaters improve and know how to effectively articulate their arguments.

– For UIL State, the above is not true.

– Re-highlighted evidence can be inserted, but you must explain what you've re-highlighted and why the re-highlighting proves your argument (or disproves your opponent's argument). Simply inserting the re-highlighted and stating that the re-highlighting proves your argument is not sufficient. You must make a complete argument with the re-highlighted evidence.

– I have witnessed more and more debaters marking multiple cards in every speech they give. There is nothing wrong with marking cards, but excessive marking (marking more than 3 cards in a single speech) is frustrating. I will ask a debater who marks more than 3 cards to send out a marked copy. I will also lower speaker points for such behavior.

– Please start slow before speeding up. It's difficult for me to understand the first few seconds of your speech otherwise.

LD

– If the affirmative is going for an RVI, it needs to be the entirety of your last speech and you must prove in-round abuse. I won't reject arguments or the negative otherwise.

PF

– Just because I judge CX doesn't mean I want to watch a CX debate. Debate as if I'm a parent judge with no knowledge about the topic. This means no spreading, theory, or Kritiks. If you debate like it's a CX debate, I will not give you speaks higher than 28.

– Please set up an email chain for the purposes of sharing evidence/cases. My email is above.

Email: ivang6974@gmail.com

LD Debate

For the most part I am lay, but I there are some priorities for me:

Establishing framework is very important and who can most utilize their value as tool against their opponent. I want debaters to argue why the value should weigh more and/or why it can even solve for their opponents case. I have judged LD before, and I get disappointed when framework arguments fade from the center of the debate because they should be focus of LD.

Impact debate is important and will ultimately decide the round. I need to know why I should not vote for the opponent and why I need to vote for your case. If there is an impact to not voting your case, let me know. Or vice versa tell me there is an impact to voting for your opponent. Impact debate can be won by using impact calculus and using the framework to tell me what why yours is more important.

I will listen and vote for K debate, just make sure the argument presented has a clear link and not just an overall generic link to resolution.

Any questions, you can ask me.

Policy Debate

I am typically oriented around policy maker as a judge. The best negative offense for me, are a couple of DAs and a good CP. I expect the DAs to have non-generic strong links. I will mostly evaluate a DA base around the link debate. My only standards for the CPs is that they are creative and can solve for the entirety of the Affirmative case, with a net benefit.

T args: I will only vote for T if it is pretty obvious that the affirmative is not topical, otherwise if they are presenting a common case then T is a time waster for me.

Theory: I do not flow on theory, I think it does not take the debate anywhere.

K debate: I am familiar with Ks, especially Cap, and I would be willing to vote on Ks, as long as they are well represented and are not generically linked to the affirmative case.

Case: Aff just make sure your entire case is defended and upheld.

Impact: A big chunk of my decision will be based on impact debate. So each side please provide an Impact Cal, and I am willing to listen to big and small stick impacts. However, I will have a higher standard for probability for big stick impacts.

If you have any other questions then please just ask me before a round starts.

samantha.grace.healey@gmail.com

Policy Debater at UT Austin

In HS, I competed in Policy, Extemp, and Congress.

Quick Notes: I am unlikely to vote on an RVI unless you do extremely well on it. I have a very strong typical policy background (ie topicality, policy affs, disads, cps). However, I now read a lot more kritikal arguments, so I'm good to flow with those too (and framework). There isn't anything I outwardly dislike in the context of K debate. My preferences tend to be disability literature, feminism, cap, and set col, just because that's what I'm the most familiar with. That definitely doesn't make me opposed to hear other K's, please read your K!

Short Version:

If you're looking for my paradigm in one word: tab.

The most important thing is that you give me the easiest path to the ballot. Tell me how to vote, on what, and why. Other than that, give me overviews, keep the debate organized, and please extend things correctly. Technical debating ability is important.

Don't be offensive, rude, homophobic, racist, ableist, derogatory, sexist etc.

Long version:

Speed: Spreading is cool if that's your thing. I can keep up with speed, but you'll probably want to have more effective signposting to help me organize the flow. If you start to sound jumbled or you're going too fast, I'll say "clear."

Logistics:

I don't count flashing or attaching things to an email as prep. That being said, don't try and abuse this to steal prep.

Add me on the email chain: samantha.grace.healey@gmail.com

Framing: I think it's important. Framing gives a team a big advantage. ROB and ROJ are good because I want to understand how to evaluate the round. Debate shouldn't just be about who causes nuke war fastest, it should also be about whose model of debate is better for particular reasons and why certain arguments should be preferred. At the end of the debate, I hope that both teams will have done sufficient work on a framing/framework level where I now understand what each of their ideal debate models are.

Framework: Love it. I think that if your interp has USFG in it, you need to be very ready to defend your ground loss and why that o/w any of the affirmative offense. I find it persuasive when links and impacts are debated on two levels, meaning how it impacts future debates (ie spillover claims/models), but also in round links. Please include a TVA/SSD argument somewhere in the round. I think that these are not only strategic, but help to generate clash.

Disads: DA's are great. I prefer to hear impacts relating to IR, the economy, and human rights. Though, in all honestly, I'll listen to pretty much anything here including the typical war/extinction scenario. Just do the work that needs to be done and you'll be fine. And please, understand the argument that you're making. If you can't explain your argument thoroughly in either an overview or in cross, it won't do you any favors. You need to read all parts of a Disad (UQ, Link, Internal Link, Impact). I also think that specific internal link chains are quite useful. Generic links are obviously fine, but it's always useful to be able to out spec your opponent.

CPs: Yes!! I think it's important that you have an extremely clear net benefit and that you are very clear about mutual exclusivity. I personally really like listening to perm debates and how two arguments can/can't interact. The net benefit can be anything from a material impact to some arbitrary theory arg, but if it's missing, you won't win the argument. Additionally, I need to have ink on the flow regarding CP solvency. Don't expect me to do that work for you. I also think cross-applications/re-highlightings about how the aff is actually your solvency advocate are very strategic arguments. I'm cool with PICs, so if that's your thing, go for it. Also willing to hear and vote on theory on the CP/perm.

Ks: Probably my favorite argument style right now. Be smart about it. I love it when people make links out of cards that were read, performance, argument strategy, and answers (ie "if they didn't link before they do now"). Also make sure that your K and your performance are cohesive. I think too often I find people throwing around buzz words, so make sure that you do the work to explain what those buzz words mean. Give me an explanation of the ideology of the K, framework, policy vs ideology, and uniqueness. Organization on the K flow is extremely important to me, probably more than most. I think that "k turns the aff" or "k solves the aff" arguments are very strategic. If you're answering the K, I want to have specific perm cards about the two advocacies working together. Saying "links are disads to the perm" is not an argument, that is a claim. Make it an argument, I need a warrant and impact. Also a big fan of a good alt explanation. I think that I find "world of the alt" or "world of the perm" moments to be persuasive. Framing is incredibly important to me, I also think that kicking the alt and going for the linear disad can be strategic. In K v K rounds and Policy v K rounds, root cause arguments are useful.

T: Sure. I think that T debates can be very useful if done well. Make sure that if you're going for T, you're able to sit on it for the full five minutes. I like to see T used as a reason to vote for generic links on the disad. I tend to default to reasonability. I also think that pinning down examples of 2AC shifts is particularly useful, as I'm much less willing to vote on potential abuse vs. abuse. Be ready to answer "aff gets 2AC specifications."

Theory: Please don't just respond to a PIC w/ a generic PICs bad theory shell and then move on. Something I've noticed is a lot of teams just running super generic theory responses that aren't contextualized at all as a way to get out of engaging with their opponent's arguments. Theory is fine, but please be able to tell me why the theory is important in this specific round against these specific arguments. Theory won't weigh heavily on the ballot if you don't give me a framing arg to go along with it. Basically tell me why theory comes first. For preferences, I'm less willing to vote on condo when the team reads two condo advocacies as opposed to eight. I think that theory is a key part of answering the perm (severance/intrisicness). Also willing to listen to theory on fiat.

AFFs: I will listen to anything. I have noticed that I prefer either policy affs or K affs, but I will listen to a soft left aff. I think that I often find students dropping/not using their own aff. You got to read 8 minutes offense at the start of the debate, use it to make cross-applications. A case outweighs 2AR is always a good option when in doubt. I also really like to hear impact framing on the aff. IE if you have big stick impact, you're not going to have the highest probability, so tell me why I need to evaluate magnitude first. Impact preferences for policy affs include SV, economics, and IR stuff. K aff preferences are at the top.

Feel free to ask me stuff before round. Also feel free to reach out with questions after the round!

email: vadajanak@gmail.com

pronouns: she/her/hers

About me-

My name is Vada Janak :)

I currently coach at LBJ Early College HS in Austin. Go Jags!

I competed for Tuloso-Midway HS (2016-2020)

I did CX, LD, WSD, and Big Questions on the debate side in high school. I also did Congress and Extemp. I've placed state and nationally in WSD and placed at the state level in CX. I qualified to the national tournament each year of high school, and collected bids to the TOC & NIETOC.

TLDR:

First, do what you're good at! I would much rather judge a round that you are comfortable having than judge one where you are trying to match my paradigm word for word.

Given that you:

1) explain the claim, warrant, and impact to your arguments. You will have a better chance of me correctly evaluating your arguments the way you want me to.

2) Make sure, on that note to properly explain your positions, don’t make an assumption that I know your DA scenario, K jargon, or weird philosophies. Help me out, so that I can help you out

3) Have comparative analysis of evidence, arguments, and/or performative styles as it compares to your own and how I ought to prioritize impacts as it relates to your framing of the round.

4) Be Persuasive, it will go a long way to making me to sign my ballot your way if you can make the round enjoyable, touching, funny, etc – it will also help your speaks.

-Please note: there is a clear distinction between persuasion and passion and being rude. I do not take kindly to rudeness, and it will show in your speaks.

5) Write the ballot for me in your last speech, tell me how you win. Take risks, and don’t go for everything. Make me think, “woah, cool, gonna vote on that” “When what they said in the last rebuttal was exactly how I prioritized stuff too, judging is soooo easy [it's often not :(]". If you tell me how to vote, why I should vote that way, and why it matters for the round, it will be an easier ballot for you.

6) It has also been a while since I have judged policy in person so please read slower (faster than convo speed but slow enough that you're not gasping for air every 4 seconds), at least on analytics. If you want to sample a speed for me before the round, just ask and I will let you know if that is too fast.

The real one:

1st: policy

2nd: WSD

3rd: LD

Policy:

I was most comfortable doing a blend of traditional and progressive CX in high school. I ran PTX DA's, T, and Cap K the most out of every argument on the Neg. I ran soft left policy affs on the China, Education, and Arm Sales topics, but I ran a K Aff on immigration.

Affs:

You can run either a plan, K Aff, or a performative aff. I am more familiar and understanding of plan text aff's, but I really appreciate the literature and concepts behind the K aff's I have seen. Given that, I will probably need those types of aff's to be explained more in the later speeches and probably read at a slower speed.

DA's:

DisAds are probably my favorite cup of tea. My go to has always be the politics DA. I am familiar with probably every DA there is. Case specific links are always preferred. Don't just read 4 generic DA's unless that's all you have. However, if it is pretty generic, it will take less work for the aff to tell me no link. Also explain the internal link! The more you tell me about how we really get from the plan text to nuke war the better time we will both have. And please please please do real impact calculus and evaluation. Don't just say "The DA outweighs the case." Tell me why.

T:

I am a firm believer in the idea that a well ran T can be voted on in the 2NR. Given that, if you go for T, it should be the ONLY thing in the 2NR, and it should be easily explained and have voters.

CP's:

Tell me how the CP works, why its mutually exclusive, and specifically how it actually solves the aff and prevents the DA. And if you're going to put 8 different planks, tell me how each of those is important. If the Aff doesn't perm the CP or give me a good reason why it doesn't solve, I'll more than likely vote for it. If it is not specified by either team, I assume the CP is unconditional.

K's:

Like I said above, not my cup of tea, but I would like them to be. I'm familiar with Cap and Neolib, so anything out of that area will need to be explained. Please use case/resolution specific links. You can read your "state action links" cards, but the aff has a pretty good footing to tell me why that's a bad link. UNLESS, state action is unique to your K and you explain to me how this isn't the same thing you read every round. Typically, the impact to the K and the Aff are drastically different so please tell me how to evaluate your systematic oppression impact to their nuke war. I hold K's to their alt's. Unless the Neg tells me why, how, and when the alt happens/who can engage with the alt/how the ballot plays a role in facilitating the alt, the Aff pretty much has free reign to tell me that the Alt doesn't solve.

Theory:

If your opponents have given you a real reason to run theory please do! I strongly believe in debaters having discussions with each other about how one of their actions was bad for debate. I also will vote off of Condo bad, especially if you read more than 5 off :)

WSD:

This was by far my favorite event to compete in in high school. I think that it offers the most real world skills and provides the most real education

I started competing in WSD in 2016. The event has drastically changed since then, but I believe how it was 2016-2018 was the best version of it. In 2020, I was 2nd top speaker at TFA state and 12th top speaker at NSDA Nationals to give you some perspective.

I'll evaluate the round in the three ways the ballot allows me to: style, content, and strategy. I will take into consideration the "flow", but just because you "lose the debate" in a technical sense does not mean you automatically lose. Nor if you win the technical parts does it guarantee that you will win the ballot.

Style:

Persuasion, tone, speed, and attitude in the round are things I will consider for your style points. Use your ethos, pathos, logos. This is WSD so do not spread. I also will dock your style points if you're rude or disrespectful to your opponents or to me. Also, don't just read off your paper for the entire first and second speeches. This event has lots of extemporaneous elements to it.

Content:

The first speech is super important to make sure that you can get full content points in the whole round. If the meat of your case isn't good, then you're going to have a rough time in the other speeches. If you're not defining words in the motion, explaining how your model works (if there is one) or giving synthesized examples in the different points, then you're going to have a hard time getting points here. Believe it or not, it is easy to tell when words are coming out of your mouth but nothing is really being said, you know? Just be logical and thoughtful with your words.

Strategy:

This is the most undermined point area in WSD in my opinion. It might be the lowest about of possible points, but most people rarely get them. If you set up your different points in a strategic way, ask POI's that you'll use in your next speech, and organize the debate to tell me not just why your opponents are losing, but also, reasons that you're winning, the points are yours to have. I appreciate organization and I believe that the way you set up your speech is a strategy of itself, so keep that in mind too.

POI's:

Please please please ask/state POI's!!!!!!!!!! Far too often do people not ask enough. A good POI will help get you points in style, content, and strategy. Even more so, ask POI's when your opponents are on a roll because you don't want to let them talk for 8 mins uninterrupted. BUT. Please note, there is a very clear difference in a good "aha! gotcha" POI and a rude uncalled for POI.

Also! you don't have to take every POI you get asked, but if you ignore every single one I will think you do not know what you are talking about or that you are not paying attention.

Email: teahmbang@gmail.com

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Hi! I'm Teah Mbang, and I competed for Tuloso-Midway High School from 2017-2020.

I did LD, WSD, Congress, Extemp, Info, and OO. I've been in out rounds of Congress on a national and state level, qualified to the national tournament all three years I was in debate, been invited to the extemp round robin, and I was TOC & NIETOC qualified in Congress, and Extemp.

First, I want to start off by saying, do what makes you comfortable and what you're good at. I firmly believe that debate is about education and having conversations that allow us to be better people and debaters. I would rather judge a round that you are comfortable having than a round where you're trying to satisfy my paradigm.

That being said, some things need to happen for me to judge the round to its full potential:

That being said there are some things that need to happen in order for me to judge the round to its full potential:

1. Ensure that you adequately explain your claims, warrants, and impacts. I shouldn't have to connect the dots when listening to your cases/rebuttals/speeches. Not only will this help me judge the round, but it will also help you and your opponent better understand what is happening.

2. Be persuasive! At the end of the day, you pulling me to your side of the debate is what you want, and it's what should happen.

3. Please, please, please, do not be rude in any way. As a former competitor, I know that rounds can get heated, but keeping calm is always the best option. I DO NOT TOLERATE RUDENESS IN ANY FORM. Simply put, I will not vote for you if you're acting rude, racist, homophobic, classist, xenophobic, etc. Let's create a safe place for everyone. :)

4. Tell me how to vote. If you tell me how to vote, why I should vote that way, and why it matters in the round, it'll be an easy ballot. Paint the picture for me, and don't leave me guessing.

LD:

In terms of LD, I've always preferred a traditional debate. I enjoy traditional value, criterion, and contention level debate. I firmly believe that a framework is essential and can sometimes make or break a round. With that, I'm not a fan of theory, unless there is clear abuse happening. I don't enjoy debates about debates because I think it takes time away from the topic and doesn't truly show your skill as a debater. However, I will vote for theory, if executed correctly. (If you run theory, have all the correct parts, and really stick with it through and through, then I'll vote for it.)

I'm also really fond of comparative worlds. What does the world of the AFF look like? What does the world of the NEG look like? Explain why I would rather live in one world over the other, and why that should matter at all in the debate.

Lastly, I do listen to the CX in rounds. I think it's excellent when debaters bring the questions or answers from the CX into their rebuttals. It shows that you were listening and genuinely trying to find a way to have the debate on your side.

Congress:

I've always had a love-hate relationship with Congress (as I'm sure you all understand). I think the debate concept is great. However, when you're actually in the round, I know it can be intense and often even toxic. As a congress judge, that's something I note. I don't care how great a speaker you are; if you're belittling others, I won't rank you high. Period. :)

Judges say this about a million and one times, I genuinely hate rehash! I know it's bound to happen, but keep it at a minimum, or just move on, so the round doesn't get bland. Additionally, I LOVE unique arguments because they add a lil something to the round, so if you make out of the box arguments, I'll note it.

I think crystals are great, especially if you're one of the last speeches! That being said, a crystal isn't you reading an early-round speech with just some refutation. It should be a whole lot of refutation about some of the biggest arguments made in the round.

Lastly, I do listen to the CX in rounds. I think it's great when debaters bring the questions or answers from the CX into their speeches. It shows that you were listening and truly trying to find a way to have the debate on your side.

Have fun, and good luck!

PREP TIME ENDS WHEN THE DOC IS SENT. THIS IS A REMINDER TO INCORPORATE DOC SENDING INTO YOUR PRACTICE AND DRILLS. IF I SEE YOU FUMBLING WITH YOUR COMPUTER 10 SECONDS AFTER YOU STOP PREP, I'M STARTING PREP RIGHT BACK UP. IF YOU'RE OUT OF PREP THEN I'M STARTING YOUR SPEECH TIME.

I EXPECT ROUNDS TO START EXACTLY AT (MAYBE EVEN EARLIER THAN) THE DESIGNATED START TIME. IF YOU START THE CHAIN AND SEND THE 1AC ~2 MINUTES PRIOR TO THE START TIME WE'LL BE GOOD.

THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR FLIGHT 2 DEBATES STARTING LATE BECAUSE OF DEBATERS. YOU HAD AN HOUR EXTRA TO PREPARE/START THE EMAIL CHAIN/PRE-FLOW.

IF A TIMER IS NOT RUNNING (speech, cx, prep time) YOU SHOULD NOT BE PREPPING (looking at docs, typing, writing) THAT IS STEALING PREP

Okay enough yelling. Sorry I'm getting old and grumpy.

Email: okunlolanelson@gmail.com [Add me to the chain]

About me: I debated in Texas mostly in LD and did a little Policy. Had a short stint for Northwestern debate (GO CATS). If you're reading quickly before a round, read the bold.

General/Short version:

- Tech > Truth

- Judge instruction is axiomatic. The best final speeches start and end with judge instruction.

- Assume I know very little about the topic, your author, the norms, the meta e.t.c. This means (for the most part) you do you, extend and explain your position and I'll do my best to objectively evaluate it

- If its a Policy throwdown, please slow down a bit in those final speeches. Remember I'm probably not familiar with the topic. This is mostly for LD since shorter speeches/rounds means less time to explain those [internal] links.

- I'm not flowing of the doc - I believe that judges flowing off the doc incentivizes HORRIBLE clarity and rhetorical practices. Won't even glance at the document unless absolutely needed (1/10 debates). It is YOUR job to extend and explain your evidence, not my job to read it and explain it for you. Clarity is axiomatic.

- PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD SLOW DOWN on analytics, tags, interpretations, plan/cp text, theory. You can go as fast as you want on the card body. Remember speed can be a gift or a curse.

- Debate whatever and however you want. Go all out and do your thing, just DO NOT be violent or make the space unsafe.

- Frame your impacts and weigh your impacts. No one wins their framework anymore. Its a shame. It would make debates atleast 37% easier to decide.

- Errr on the side of explanation and slow down a bit for dense [analytic] philosophical debates. I do not have a PhD in philosophy.

- Bad theory debates get more annoying as I get older. I promise you no one is thrilled to decide on a debate on "evaluate the debate after the 1AC" be forreal. You still have to respond to bad theory arguments though (shouldn't be terribly hard)

- You will auto-lose if you clip cards or falsely accuse. You will auto-lose for evidence ethics violations

- A good speech consists of judge instruction, overview, line by line, and crystallization (and obviously strategy). Good speeches = good speaks. Rhetoric and Persuasion is important.

- I don't care how far away or how close to the topic you are but you must justify your practice. This is your activity not mine. I'm simply here to give feedback, decide a winner, and enjoy the free food from the judges lounge. If you think fairness is an impact, defend it. If you think skills matter, defend it. If you think defending USFG action causes psychological violence, defend it.

- One thing to note for "non-T" affs vs T, I need you to account for/interact with your opponents impact. If I am simply left with a fairness/skills impact vs the impact turns and no interaction between the 2 and no Top Level framing issues, I will be forced to intervene. (This is bad for affirmatives because I think that fairness is *probably* a good thing)

- If there's an important CX concession, please flag it and/or get my attention in case I have zoned out.

- If i'm judging Policy debate, just don't assume I know some jargon, norm, or innovative strategy and err on the side of explanation.

- I won't kick the CP for you unless you tell me to *AND justify* why I should.

- No you cannot "Insert re-highlighting." Are you serious? Why is this even a thing? If its not read, its not on my flow.

- Don't get too **graphic** on descriptions of antiblack violence (or any violence for that matter). Trigger warnings are welcomed and encouraged.

- Referencing college teams or other teams doesn't really get you anywhere, "our models allows for Michigan vs Berkeley debates" I simply do not know or care about these teams

- If you need to know something specifically ask before the round.

• Good luck, do your thing, and have fun!