1st Annual North Carolina Scrimmage
2022 — NSDA Campus, NC/US
Public Forum Paradigm List
All Paradigms: Show HideMy email: ashutosh.komali@gmail.com, add me to any speech or card doc.
A bit about me, I am a freshman in college (Rose-Hulman Institute of Tech.) and have competed in many events consistently over 4 years, mainly in Public Forum debate where I was the AK PF captain. Other events I did were Congressional Debate, Big Questions and World Schools Debate for Ardrey Kell High School/Carolina West District. Hint: World Schools is my favorite event and is the best event, so even though I am an experienced judge, a well warranted "lay" debate is the best strategy for me rather than devoting the round to a fast flow debate
Please feel free to ask any questions about my paradigm before the round starts.
TLDR; I hate prog, treat me like a shitty lay judge even if I can evaluate your argumentation, don’t make me to extra work to figure out who won, pls have fun.
Most importantly, I know how stressful a debate round can get, I know the anxiety that debaters get before round. I can't really do anything about this, but just know that I want you to just have fun, that's what debate should be, and I'll try my best to make the environment lighthearted and fun. There is nothing better than a cohesive debate community and becoming friends with people you see consistently at tournaments is just top tier, so while you should do your best and take things seriously, don't be so tough on yourself. This is an extremely difficult activity, and while I am your judge, I'm not going to "judge" you based on your debate abilities, I will just do my best to help you improve upon yourself. Anyone who knows me in this activity knows that what I valued most in debate was trying to help others.
General PF Stuff:
Tech>Truth in almost any circumstance as long as it's not offensive or absolutely absurd (impacting out to 1 trillion humans)
Prog Debate: While everything I say below is true, I am a substance judge and will always prefer a very lay and trad round. I don't really care how you feel about this, but I hate progressive rounds, and though I won't drop you for it, I'm unlikely to prefer the team that reads it, especially if it is being spread. Reading theory against novices is lame and don't do it to teams just looking for good experience in a tournament. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t read it on teams that are being absurdly exclusionary, but don’t read prog just to read prog.
Theory/T: I'm not the most experienced with it but I get the gist of it. Theory doesn't have to be answered in 2nd case if they are trying to keep the round trad. You must ask your opponents if they are okay with theory, just a general question as theory debaters won't yet know what potential abuse is made in the round, the only exception to run theory if opponents disagree is if a TW is necessary.
Kritik/K's: Fine, not my expertise but if you explain it to me like I was born yesterday, then it will be fine. Try to keep it in the realm of topical K's but do as you will.
Strike me if you don't like my policy about progressive args.
Speaker Points: I won't go below 28, unless you are being excessively aggressive and/or rude or say anything offensive or discriminatory.
Don't read 30 speaks theory, please don't skew the round for this, you have a better chance of 30 speaks without this.
These all apply only to the speaker who did them:
- Make an avatar(both avatar franchises included) reference: +0.5
- Make a Stranger Things reference: +1
Speech docs: I hope this is obvious from what I just said, but don't try to spread, especially if you mess up your speaking a lot, but if you do spread, send speech doc.
I generally will not ask for a speech doc because I am fairly fine with flowing unless you spread very fast, which I considered being 250 or 260+ wpm.
Frameworks: I default cost-benefit analysis/utilitarianism, but you can have your own FW. Provide warranting for why this is the FW of the round tho, or else I will think it is very weak. Second case can always have a counter FW or just respond in rebuttal.
Mavericks: Everything the same except I'll give mav's 5 minutes of prep
Speech Analysis:
Case: Have clear warranting, it can be obscure or unique, but it should make sense. Case comprising of cut cards is recommended for your own usefulness, I am fine with anything paraphrased, but if a card is miscut or paraphrased incorrectly, I will drop it from my flow. Note: this can only happen if opponents call cards and address cards and I follow up with the card.
1st Rebuttal: Pre-emptive frontlines are nice, you should know what your job is, go top down on their case and respond to it to the best of your ability, addressing cross questions can help as well.
2nd Rebuttal: Make sure you frontline here, I won't evaluate it in second summary, feels abusive to me. Respond to their case obviously.
Don't read cards only, make analytical responses, these often have the best warranting throughout the round so they are useful, and when reading any carded response, make implications to why they clash with your opponents claims. Don't say something then not tell me why it it important.
Weighing is always welcome here.
1st Summary: Make sure you frontline your case well, only place for you to frontline. If you want me to evaluate something in my decision, you need to include it here. I advise you to collapse on your case, don't need to if opponents didn't do very well on responding. Make sure you weigh here.
2nd Summary: Again, no new frontlining that wasn't in rebuttal. Should address first summary. Nothing really different from first summary.
NO NEW RESPONSES, I get annoyed by this. This should be obvious, but no new arguments, I won't evaluate them.
If new arguments are made in summary and you respond to them just to be on the safe side then that's fine but I generally won't encourage it as I drop new args(unless its frontlining in first summary) and a time suck.
1st Final Focus: I agree that this is some disadvantage since you don't get the last word, but this is a big reason you should pre-emptively respond to their 2nd FF. Again extend things you want me to evaluate. Weigh.
2nd FF: Take advantage of this, you have the last word in the round. Don't do anything unfair, but if the round went very clash(AKA went to backlining and beyond), new analysis of the arguments are welcome here, this goes for first FF too. Weigh.
Your Final Focus should practically write the RFD for me, even if you are losing hard, don't give up and make a convincing final statement as to why you should win.
WEIGHING: To me, weighing and impact calc is very important, as even if you concede to all of your opponents links, you can still win off of weighing impacts with a clear link into them with your arguments. Magnitude is often the default in rounds, but differentiate your weighing from your opponents by using other weighing mechanisms too. Meta-weighing is often not included in many rounds I watch but it is a great tool, helps me in my decision and is always welcome.
Although it is convenient for the debaters, I don't believe in sticky defense, just don't do it. Extend.
I may call for cards once the round is over for me to clear up any suspicious evidence or cards that are challenged during the round.
Finally and probably most important, please make an implication of any argument that you extend in the back half of the round that has clash on both sides(hopefully a lot of them exist) because without implications I can't easily tell who wins an argument if they don't interact with the other side.