Harvard update (2/12/2024)

Not great for the K, except for maybe K's of language/rhetoric. In Policy v K rounds, I vote aff for the perm quite a bit. Not sure I have ever evaluated a K v K debate. In K aff v T-framework debates, I usually vote neg. Fairness and clash are pretty persuasive to me. I have voted for a non-topical aff a few times, but it's probably an uphill battle.

You should probably go slower than you would like in front of me, but I can usually keep up. If you really want me to keep up, I'd recommend leaving analytics in the doc.

I expect everyone to be nice and respectful to each other. Please be mindful of pronouns. Ask your opponents if you don't know.

I err neg on most counterplan theory questions, but I can definitely be persuaded that conditionality is a reason to reject a team, especially if there are more than 2 conditional worlds. Process CPs are kind of a gray area for me. I like them, but I could be convinced that they are bad.

Yes, I want to be on the email chain (davy.holmes@dsisdtx.us).

Some info about me:

Policy Debater from 1996-1998 for Gregory-Portland HS (Texas)

Assistant Policy Debate Coach from 1998-2002 for Gregory-Portland HS (Texas)

Debate Coach/Teacher at Sinton HS (Texas) from 2002-2003

Debate Coach/Teacher at Hebron HS (Texas) from 2003-2007

Debate Coach/Teacher at San Marcos HS (Texas) from 2014-2017

Debate Coach/Teacher at Dripping Springs HS (Texas) from 2017-present

Updated 1/3/2024

Top level observations for all debate events:

-You should not assume what your opponents' pronouns are. Ask if you don't know, and then make every effort to use them. When in doubt, referring to your opponents as "the aff" or "the neg" is probably a good idea.

-Slowing down and explaining things clearly is usually a good idea, especially in rebuttals.

-Perms that aren't explained aren't arguments.

-If a timer isn't running you shouldn't be prepping.

-I can't vote for something that I didn't flow or understand. I won't feel bad or embarrassed about saying I just didn't understand your argument.

Policy: My favorite event, but I am getting old. I am okay with speed, but clarity is important. I'm definitely more comfortable with plan-focused debate. If I was still a debater, I would probably be reading a small, soft-left aff, and my preferred 2NR would include a counterplan and the politics DA. For the most part, I think debate is a game. The negative should have access to predictable, topic-based ground. While fairness is likely an internal link to other impacts, it is also an impact in and of itself. Affirmatives that don't defend topical, hypothetical action by the resolutional actor will have a tough time getting me to vote for them. Neg kritiks require a lot of explanation and contextualization. I do not just assume that every K links. I have found that I am much more persuaded by links to a team's rhetoric or representations than other types of links. "They use the state and the state has always been bad in the past" won't usually beat a permutation. I am pretty bad for alts rooted in pessimism or alts that seemingly require an infinite amount of fiat. More than 2 conditional cps and/or alts dramatically increases the persuasiveness of condo theory.

Worlds: I tend to judge Worlds more than other debate events these days. I try to judge rounds holistically. My decision on who won the debate will be made before assigning points on my ballot. Line-by-line refutation is not an expectation. Debaters should focus on core topic arguments and major areas of clash. When appropriate, I enjoy detailed explanations and comparisons of models. Speakers 1-3 should take at least 1 POI.

LD: Even though I dislike this term as applied to debate, I am probably best for LARP and/or util frameworks. Not great for the K. Probably terrible for tricks or phil. Even though I think disclosure is good, there is less than a 1% chance that I'll vote on disclosure theory.

PF: I don't think PF judges should have paradigms. Unless your opponents are ignoring the resolution, I will not vote on theory in PF. #makepublicforumpublicagain

Congress: I pretty much never judge Congress. Students who expect to rank highly should make good arguments, clash with other representatives as much as possible, and participate fully throughout the session.

My name is Wairimu Manyara and I have experience in BP, World Schools, Asian Parliamentary and PF formats. I am critical and focus on the comparatives to give constructive feedback. I will vote for any argument regardless of my personal thoughts on debate. I do not have the ability to adjudicate on disputes about anything outside of the debate.

Hi y’all!

My name is Claire, I did speech and debate for four years of hs and have been judging since I graduated. I competed some in PF and WSD, but my main focus was in Extemp. Here are a few things that I look for/think about when judging.

Speech:

Outside of standard fluency, I tend to evaluate content over performance for speech events. That being said, I do enjoy when speakers incorporate jokes and have good flow and appreciate when this is done well. Overall though, what’s most important to me is that a speech gives a cohesive and well formulated argument/narrative and that it is delivered with clarity with support from examples and sources.

Interp:

I love when people have energy and really commit to their performances to tell a story. I also really, really enjoy when the pieces are well cut together and the story has a good flow and retains a clear message. I don’t really appreciate when a piece seems like it is just reenacting trauma for shock-value. I prefer when these stories are handled with sensitivity and when performers make an effort to make the narrative more than just the trauma itself.

Debate:

Although I’ve had some experience with debate in the past, I would not at all consider myself a flow judge. To get my ballot, you have to maintain a clear narrative throughout the round and keep clean extensions. You need to explain to me with clear weighing why I should vote for you. If a debate is messy and I have to do all of the work and weighing by myself, you may not like the work that I do, so you should aim to be really clear about your comparatives. I would like to emphasize that I am not good with speed and if I cannot understand you I will not write it down, and I don’t really know how to use a speech doc tbh. I don’t understand anything theory.

This should go without saying but I do not tolerate racism, sexism, bigotry etc. in rounds. I will call you out and dock speaks/ranks.

email: claireemartinez27@gmail.com