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Lexington Winter Invitational

2023 — Lexington, MA/US

Novice Policy Paradigm List

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Jayden Bai Lexington HS

Last changed on Sat January 6, 2024 at 3:19 AM EDT

I debated in LD at Lexington HS (2019 - 2023) and acquired eight career bids. Now I coach circuit debaters and work at the Atlanta Urban Debate League. Email: jayden.bai@gmail.com.

TLDR: I'll vote on anything but I will intervene against exclusionary arguments.

General

Make sure to be clear. I will not vote on arguments that I didn't hear in previous speeches which means your spreading needs to be understandable. At the end of the day, debate is a persuasion game which means debaters need to be clear and articulate because that ultimately affects the tech and flow of the round.

Most familiar with pretty much any theory/phil strategy, 1AR restarts, etc. but would prefer to judge policy rounds.

My favorite debates are when the 1NC is all on case. I love impact turn 1NC's.

I love creative K affs but winning against framework means separating your specific research practice from competitive incentives. For framework debaters, the clash 2NR just seems more articulate but I have no problem voting on the fairness 2NR. Every affirmative, fundamentally, just has to show me that there is something wrong with the status quo and the negative must challenge that argument.

Honestly, any type of argument done right gets my ballot. the sillier the argument, the harder to do right, but done smoothly = higher speaker points. It's not about what your argument is it's about how you present it and how you implicate it.

Misc.

As much as I want to avoid dogmatism in my decisions, I am aware of biases that I have and I think it's better to communicate them than pretend they don't exist. However, it's a debate so if you want to change my mind I'm happy to hear your reasons why:

- Critiques of debaters' research projects/arguments are fine but when an argument implies that "my opponent is a bad person", I won't feel comfortable voting on the argument. I don't think my ballot as an educator should be a referendum on a high school student's personal character.

- I would much rather you read evidence ethics challenges as a theory argument so the violation can be debated over. If there is a challenge I will reference whatever tournament rules I should be following.

- I'm not against sassiness in round. Get as passionate as you want but if a power imbalance seems to be developing I'm going to tell y'all to chill out.

- I think open source, round reports, and cites for every single round + contact info and correct tournament names are ideal for disclosure.

- I don't think debate, like any competitive HS activity, is neutral and I understand how different students come from different backgrounds and experiences. However, there is a level of procedural fairness that needs to be preserved in order for the game to work.

Jordana Bales The Bronx High School Of Science

Anika Basu Lexington HS

Last changed on Mon February 6, 2023 at 5:32 PM EDT

TL;DR

Anika Basu (she/her)

2A/1N

I'm a senior at Lexington High School.

Yes, I want to be on the email chain: anikabasudebate@gmail.com

Title of the chain should be: Tournament - Round X: Team Code (Aff) v. Team Code (Neg)

I won't vote for anything sexist/racist/homophobic/etc. Other than that, I'll vote on anything as long as it's explained well. I won't judge kick the CP unless instructed to do so.

**Note for online debate: Please be clear! If you have tech issues, make sure to let me know before the round.

If you're reading my paradigm, you're probably a novice, so here's what I look for:

- LBL ("They said... but...")

- Evidence comparison

- Impact calc (don't just tell me what the time frame, probability, and magnitude are-- explain which one is most important and why that means your impact outweighs theirs)

- Splitting the block (don't repeat the same arguments in the 2nc and 1nr, you can split them up!)

- Argument resolution

- Flow

- Be clear and flowable

- Be confident!

- Have good, offensive CX questions

- Signpost/give roadmaps before your speech and be organized in general

- Time your speech and prep

- Extend arguments by explaining the claim, warrant, and impact

- Point out dropped arguments and explain why that argument is important

- Explain why you won the debate at the top of your final speech

- Make your arguments contextualized to round and the 1ac-- reading a bunch of blocks some varsity debater gives you just tells me that you know how to read blocks:)

- Ask me questions after the round! Remember to have fun and learn as much as you can.

Don't

- Be mean to your partner or the opposing team

- Read arguments you don't understand

- Read arguments the opposing team doesn't understand without trying to explain it to them during cx (this is directed at k affs)

- Make tagline extensions (see above)

- Steal prep!!! I see this a lot.

- Make new arguments in rebuttals (1ar, 2nr, 2ar)

- Just point out dropped arguments-- explain what it means and how it helps you

- Lie

**If you don't know what any of this means, ask me before the round!

Miscellaneous

- I love the politics da

- When it comes to T debates, I look for good evidence! Also, don't read your generic blocks, make it contextualized to the round and what your view of the topic is.

- I like good case debates! (case turns, rehighlighting 1ac ev, etc.)

- Impact turn debates are fun:)

- <3 condo is usually fine unless there's any in-round abuse. more than 3 is pushing it if you're a novice.

- I'd prefer it if you'd call me "Anika" (AHH-nih-kah) and not "Judge"

- Open CX is fine but excessively talking over your partner/being rude is not!

- Feel free to email me if you have any questions about my decision or anything else!

Speaks Scale

I'll start at 28.5 and move up or down.

Under 27: you probably did something really horrible/racist/etc.

27-28.4: Needs improvement.

28.5-29: Good.

29+: Impressive!

+0.2 if you make me laugh

+0.2 if you show me your flows after the round/email them to me if we're online (let me know after the 2ar)

Dana Bell SA Bronx Middle School

Last changed on Sat February 17, 2024 at 6:07 AM EDT

I coach policy and public forum debate at Success Academy Midtown West Middle School. I coach with BDL and Able2Shine. Much of my paradigm is based on a MS debate level. I have been in forensics over a decade; four years of PF, two of Parliamentary, and four years of IPDA experience competing. I can speak directly to older teams about my paradigm if they have questions.

DISCLOSURE: I have chronic dry eye. In most situations this is not an issue, but I know how frustrating it can be too look up and see your judge isn't paying attention or is falling asleep. If you see me closing or covering my eyes or even crying please understand it's a medical issue and not indicative of my attention span or emotional state.

dana.bell@saschools.org for the chain.

My experience is mainly in IPDA, Public Forum, and Parliamentary Debate, with Policy being well understood but not a favorite. I prefer educational rounds with an emphasis on accessibility.

Feel free to ask me for specifics in the room.

1. Most debates can be won or lost over one central issue. Define that issue for me and tell me why your side should win. I love threading a value throughout the debate to help me weigh. It's the Pubfo in me. Sorry.

2. Your final speech should always begin and end with the exact reasons (voting issues) you think I should vote for you.

3. Cross examination matters. I flow it probably more than anything else said in the round. I will consider the ability of you to actually understand what you say. I want cards to be read, not recited.

4. POFO: I love framework debates and definitions debates. Emphasis on definitions debates. Squirrels are one of my favorite animals. Observations, Ks, have fun but make it accessible POLICY: Love T, love K, don't hate Performance. All I ask is you commit. A dropped K or T arg is a big waste of the round and it's not a reason I'll drop you, but it could be what sets up your downfall. Be cautious!

5. I can understand fast speaking. BUT KEEP TAGS AND AUTHOR SLOW. I'd rather you present four excellent arguments than eight ok ones. I don't literally "weigh" the arguments in quantity.

6. Be kind and speak with inflection. I dislike being able to tell that you don't really understand what you're saying. This is a debate, not a speedreading contest.

10. SIGNPOST AND ROADMAP!!! Organization matters. Time that I have to spend shuffling my flows and figuring out what exactly you're responding to is not time that I'm spending actually hearing you.Take that extra 30 seconds of prep to make sure your speech is actually in the order you're saying it's in.

11. Body language is a language; people watching can understand when you're being patronizing and don't respect who you're speaking to.You are debating even when you are not speaking.

12. You're meant to be making this debate for the sake of society, not each other. Excessive "alphabet soup" and a general ignorance towards the fact there may be someone in the room who doesn't understand the very niche language of policy debate is an annoyance to me.

13. PF specific: I love a good framework but if there's an egregiously strong point outside of it I'll listen to "forget framework" arguments. I prefer analytics over reading cards 1000%. I usually vote for the more educational team. Also, it's "Public" forum, not Policy. (REAL) Spreading with no email chain in PF is a typical auto-drop (if that makes you want to strike me and this is a MS-HS tournament, I doubt you actually spread that fast and I mean that for collegiate teams.)

Alexis Chen Lexington HS

Last changed on Sat February 3, 2024 at 3:14 AM EDT

Lexington ‘24

Please put me on the chain: lexusdebate@gmail.com and please have a subject line with the tournament name and round number!

I use she/her pronouns

About Me:

I’m currently a senior at Lexington High School and I’m a 2a

For online debate: I’d really prefer if you kept your camera on while debating if possible :)

I look forward to judging you!

General Debate Stuff:

Please be nice to everyone, debate should be fun

Anything racist, sexist, homophobic, etc. is a reason to reject the team

Please signpost (verbally letting me know if you’re switching between flows), it really helps with organization

Tech>Truth, except for discriminatory arguments

Clarity>Speed, go as fast as you want but I won't be afraid to clear you

Please tell me how to frame my ballot

No new args in the block or rebuttal speeches, I won't evaluate them as I think it's too late in the round

I think case debate is honestly underrated, I enjoy a good case debate

Please don’t steal prep!!

I’m not very familiar with K literature

I would prefer if you have specific links to the aff. Otherwise winning case outweighs gets substantially easier

K affs and FW:

I'm not great with K affs, again, I’m not very familiar with k literature. I probably won't understand your aff that well but I will still vote for it if you make a good argument as to why I should

Please explain how you solve and why the ballot is key

I’m gonna need something to vote on

More often than not kaffs will have a small blip in the 1ar and then blow it up in the 2ar, develop your arguments fully, please and thank you

I am definitely more neg leaning on T-usfg and presumption args

Do good internal link debating i.e. explaining how precision/education/predictability/etc. outweighs, and why the other team’s interp is not precise/educational/predictable/etc.

CPs and Theory:

I don't have a lot of strong biases about theory

Condo is probably good, but kicking planks from counterplans that have tons of planks probably isn't. Condo is probably the only reason to reject the team.

I’m fine with agent and process cps

DAs:

Do impact calc!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Explain the story of the da, especially in the 2nr- make sure that you are doing good link and internal link debates

For LD and PF:

Please please please time your speeches

Read evidence clearly, I think presentation matters as well

Also if there are any speech docs, please send them!

I don't have much experience with PF or LD, but I have been a policy debater for three years at Lexington High School. I'll definitely be looking at the flow throughout the debate so please keep your speeches organized

Speaks:

28.6-29- Amazing :)

28.5- You're doing great!

27-28.4- Could make some improvements

+0.1 If you show me your flows after round

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me (lexusdebate@gmail.com)!

Jakhi Dean Prospect Hill Academy Charter School

Anna Epstein Mamaroneck High School

Olivia George John D. O'Bryant School Of Mathematics And Science

Ryan gosling SUCCESS ACADEMY HUDSON YARDS

Jeffrey He Lexington HS

Last changed on Tue January 9, 2024 at 5:07 AM EDT

Lexington '23

Dartmouth '27 (not debating)

He/him

presumption2nr@gmail.com for chains.

Please format the subject line of the email chain as the following:

Tournament name Round number---Aff team [Aff] vs. Neg team [Neg]

E.g. Trevian R6---Lexington HV [Aff] vs. Lexington TW [Neg]

Hi everyone. Call me Jeffrey/Jeff. 4 years at Lexington High School as a primarily policy 2N.

Feel free to ask me any questions you have.

Notes for big lex:

These will be my first rounds judging on this topic. I haven't coached on this topic, nor have I done research in the literature, so extra explanation goes a long way, especially w/ respect to particular programs/pieces of legislation/other abbreviations or topic-specific niches. I will follow more if you don't throw out big words and complex acronyms. I've been out of the activity for a bit so excuse me if I'm missing one-liners you throw out (hint hint don't throw out one-liners).

I have been very unfond about the quality of arguments and evidence recently (see misc.). I may internally laugh at your evidence for my own pleasure. Sometimes I'm expressive. Maybe I vibe. Speaks may suffer. White's an All-Star.

Top Level:

Technical debating informs the truth value of any argument. I think it is unfair to the debaters for me, as being outside the bounds of the forum that is the debate, to inject my own knowledge, biases, preconceived notions into the round to come to a conclusion about the round. Therefore, to the best of my ability, I will rely entirely on what is presented to me when coming to a decision. All of my thoughts and opinions below should be read as guidance for how you should approach/debate in a round with me in the back, not as my hardened views of arguments.

I tend to have a high threshold for argument explanation. If you are "winning an argument", don't blaze through it in 10 seconds and then rinse and repeat with another 5/6/7 more. Be strategic about what you choose to extend and how you explain it. The more effort you put into evaluating an argument and its influence in the round, the more likely it is that I will be swayed to value said argument highly, particularly in a close debate.

Both sides should send card docs after the round.

I will say clear once then I will stop flowing.

TLDR for prefs: Best for policy v. policy, then lower than that policy v. k, then a good bit lower kaff v. 'policy', then somewhere very far below that, k v. k. Then all the way at the bottom are teams reading bad evidence.

Policy stuff

- Has a special place in my heart.

- The best T debates involve deep dives into what each model of debate looks like in terms of the debates themselves, the literature, and bilateral research potentials.

- I find link turn/root cause or thesis-level controlling arguments particularly persuasive.

- Also very persuaded by critiques of evidence quality. Far too often teams on both sides get away with reading evidence that’s cut out of context or doesn’t actually define a resolutional word/phrase.

- My pet peeve is aff teams that first throw around the phrase "functional limits exist under our topic", then run through a list composed of the states cp, a politics da, and the cap k, which has been repeated in each previous speech. Make real arguments, do your research.

- If the 2NR is 5 minutes of t-subsets, and you win, i'll give you minimum 29.5.

DAs

- I understand this topic isn’t the greatest. Idc if you read politics, something topic-specific, or jump the gun on the elections da, so long as you execute well. I honestly have a soft spot for a well-thought-out politics DA.

- tell me a good story

- both evidence and explanation are important. evidence = pieces of a puzzle, your explanation is putting it together. link explanation, spin, and evidence analysis are all arts and I'll be impressed if you put them together coherently.

CPs

- Do whatever. I love a good innovative CP, especially a well-research, topic-specific one. As such, I will be happier seeing some CPs read more than I will be for others (e.g. the sunsets cp), but at the end of the day, I was a 2N who had to read inevitably read and go for generics so I will understand the decision you make. I just might be a little more bored (kidding).

- I won’t judge kick unless told to.

- Solvency deficits need implications.

- I’m fine w/ a lot of condo. Perfcon has its place in debate; it's usually not a reason to reject the team.

K stuff

Policy aff v. K

- Familiar with most of the more common literature bases (cap, security, blackness arguments, setcol, sort of psycho, etc.). The more devious you get with your K, the less likely it is that I will understand it if you don’t explain it properly.

- You don’t need a specific link, but you DO need to at least contextualize your generic link. I have a fairly high bar for neg links given that I think a lot of evidence that’s read doesn’t meet the standard for specificity, which is a point that aff teams should exploit. When neg teams ARE ahead here, it’s because of their extrapolation beyond the evidence, and a generic/surface-level interrogation of the link by the aff. Summary: I think there’s potential on both sides here that often times gets lost.

- Aff: attack the alt. Neg: flush it out earlier. Making the alt a floating PIK in the 2NR is funny but also ballsy if you don't set it up properly.

- Framework debates end up being washes a lot. Do with that what you will.

K v. framework/policy

- Only found myself on the negative here.

- fairness matters. CAVEAT: I was a fairness debater, but I like seeing research/testing/skills/clash debates more because 2Ns tend to actually interact with the aff’s offense in those rounds rather than just saying “procedural fairness matters” over and over. I’m more convinced by teams that take fairness beyond that and add link-turns, pre-requisite arguments about “the game”, etc., that frame the way I should evaluate fairness in the context of the neg’s offense as well. TLDR: don't jettison comparisons or legit argumentation.

- I'm not ideologically opposed to k affs, but make them topic-relevant. PLEASE.

- More swayed by impact turns of framework and standards than counter-interpretations that try to solve neg offense. Not convinced by impact turns of the reading of framework itself.

- Use the case debate. On both sides. I cringe seeing teams read evidence about the wrong theory on case (negative); please put in effort to make the case debate substantive. Presumption is a real argument. Your kaff should actually do something, not be a FW preempt.

- Totally down for good memes in honor of the lexington debate tradition.

K v. K

- not my area of expertise

- framing, judge instruction, and explanation go far in these debates. I’m moreso convinced by examples as proof than assertions about a controlling theory of power.

Misc.

Maybe this is my internal 2N but I have been pretty disappointed at the poor quality of evidence pervading the last few topics. I consider myself to have been a debater highly valuing evidence, and that has translated now to judging. While I will obviously not go out of my way to discredit what a piece of evidence says, my threshold for agreeing with a team pointing out the flaws in a piece of evidence is significantly lowered if the evidence itself is terrible. Conversely, if you’re reading good evidence, I will be happy to read it your way assuming you’ve explained and defended it well.

I don’t remember who said this but they're spitting. Speed ≠ words per minute, but legible arguments made per minute.

I won’t bump speaks for this but my mood will significantly improve if you make jokes or banter during the round, whether that be in speeches, between speeches, during cross-ex, or before/after the round (obviously given that what you say isn't demeaning, hateful, or anything of the like). Debate is competitive, but meant to be fun for everyone involved. I like seeing you all enjoying your time at tournaments, so don’t take yourself too seriously with me in the back. Will be extra happy if you make jabs at Atul Venkatesh, Misty Wang, Vinit Iyer, Shreyas Sreeprakash, Ishan Kinikar, or really any other (ex) lexington debater.

Vinit Iyer Lexington HS

Last changed on Wed January 18, 2023 at 4:00 PM EDT

Lexington '23

I went to the TOC my junior year if that matters to you

I was primarily a K debater in high school but I read policy affs a lot of the time

Put me on the email chain: vinit1.iyer@gmail.com

Top Level

Tech>Truth, litmus test for judge intervention is very high

Don't say anything racist, sexist, homophobic, abelist etc in round - depending on the offense I will drop you

Give me the easiest way to way to vote, that means 30 sec at the top to frame the debate are key

Debate is a game at its core, but it can be other things too

Debates are often a question of impact calc, especially clash debates.

Please post round me - it is a good practice and may help clear up any issues you have with my RFD

Throwing shade is fine but crosses the line when it becomes mean - this is especially true for novices

Be respectful towards both your opponents AND your partner

CX is a powerful weapon, take that as you will

Please read arguments that you are comfortable with, my preferences are very easily overturned by good debating

Reading tricks and stupid arguments is perfectly fine and I will vote on them. If the argument is that stupid the other team should be able to answer it efficiently and if they fail to do so, I don't see how voting for them would make any sense.

I have little to no topic knowledge

Most of the policy biases apply but the most important thing is that you do you. As long as your arguments are executed in the most technical manner possible I don't care what arguments you read.

As per new LD arguments that I have less familiarity with like some theory, some tricks and phil, you are going to have to explain more in depth. This doesn't mean you shouldn't read these arguments but it does mean that I will need a little longer to process them.

I have little to no topic knowledge

Treat me like the most technical judge you have ever had. I don't care what arguments you read, everything is on the table (even the most squirelly arguments) as long as you technically execute them. Given that there is very little time given in PF final speeches I find collapsing down to a few arguments to be the most beneficial. Spreading is ok as long as your opponents are ok with it.

Policy

I have some topic knowledge but some intricacies might need to be explained more in depth for me

Here is my list of debates that I am most comfortable judging to least comfortable judging:

Policy v K

K v K

Policy v Policy

Preferences relating to each set of arguments:

Policy Affs vs Ks -

Neg

- Open to almost any k (including the death k if that matters)

- FW is the biggest part for me, losing FW probably means you lose

- Explanation of your theory is extremely important without too much jargon, I am not going to do the work for you

- Link articulation is VERY important, specific links are preferred but generic is also chill

- Alt needs to resolve the links if ur going for it

Aff

- Affs should prioritize extinction O/W and FW over the perm

- Affs should try their best to clash with the negs theory of power

- Affs win when they win a defense to extinction O/W, FW and some level of disproving the negs theory

FW vs Kaffs -

Neg

- Clear impact explanation and calculus is necessary

- I like education and skills more than fairness but fairness is an impact

- Use your offense to turn theirs, I don't just want you to reiterate debate is a game a billion times and hope you win

- TVA > SSD but affs don't have great defenses against SSD so take that how you will

- Very hard to win if you don't disprove their theory especially with ontology based K affs

Aff

- C/I > Straight impact turn

- I want some relation to the topic so you can provide reasons as to why your C/I is a better model for debate

- Make sure to do a lot on the impact level and try to best mitigate their impacts

- Topical Kaffs have a special place in my heart, if you are able to have a W/M and win on it I will boost your speaks

CPs

- No judge kick

- Textual competition is an asinine standard

- I don't know that much about intrinsicness so keep that in mind

- Presumption flips aff if the CP solves more than the Aff

- Theory is underutilized against this type of argument so please consider it as a valid option

DAs

- Turns case matters for me more than most - this doesn't mean turns case is an auto-win, it just means that I think you may want to spend more time on it

- Card dump > other things

Policy T

- The topic is quite big, try to have a precise definition of what you are limiting under your interpretation to exclude all ambiguity

- Make sure to actually articulate impacts, "we maintain limits" is not an impact articulation

- I need a clear story of the violation

- Competing interps vs Reasonability is debateable

K V K

- K affs getting a perm is a debate to be had

- You probably need a robust link to the aff, "we control rc" is NOT a link

- Role of the ballot = rolling my eyes

- Alternatives should probably be as robust and as concrete as possible. This means "insert jargon" is not an alternative

- Please don't drop the floating PIK

Theory

No specific thoughts except that neg teams are getting away with murder and you should capitalize on it

Perf Con can be a reason to reject certain reps arguments

Zahra Karim Lexington HS

Ishan Kinikar Lexington HS

Last changed on Thu March 24, 2022 at 10:53 AM EDT

Put me on the email chain please: ishan.kinikar@gmail.com

Open CX is fine

I judge novice rounds a lot and I am up to date on the novice topic.

Some quick thoughts:

Tech > Truth (as long as what you are saying isn't racist/misogynistic/homophobic/transphobic/ableist/etc)

I find myself evaluating debates using an offense-defense paradigm many times - I tend to categorize arguments as being one or the other and consider the implications on the debate from there.

Unless your CP is extremely abusive, I have a reasonably high bar for voting solely on theory - just because it's not a voter doesn’t mean it's a competitive CP (with exceptions of private actor fiat, consultations, and other similar constructs where I generally think that proving abuse is not too difficult). I enjoy creative CPs that generate competition in interesting ways and K-related CPs as well.

I’m biased towards anything under 4 condo being quite reasonable and I’m unlikely to vote on it unless it’s absolutely mishandled in that situation.

T 2NRs vs Policy Affs - These have been some of my favorite rounds while debating - I like clear execution of a strategy with one terminal impact and well fleshed out internal links down the flow. Quality > Quantity when it comes to T for me so collapsing down the flow as the debate goes on is key with me in the back.

As long as you properly explain the theory of the K, I can follow along. I am familiar with a number of K-literature bases - most familiar with identity K literature bases, but I am also comfortable with capitalism, cybernetics, academia Ks, and opacity-related ideas. The ideal 2NR in front of me against policy affs will likely be a FW heavy strategy with well-explained links but if going for the alt solves the links/aff’s impacts is your thing then don’t let me stop you. Against K affs, make sure that if you are reading a non-identity K against an identity K aff that you have solid answers to positionality and give high importance to the alt/competing strategies portion of the debate.

T vs K Aff rounds - I enjoy unorthodox K aff strategies against T (but I still won’t vote on them if they aren’t good strategies) - please do it in front of me (whether it is that your aff functions in a separate world or you have found a new framing question/theory of how debate functions in relation to the outside world). I tend to think that while fairness has an impact, I am more likely to vote on education impacts with well done internal link debating. Please engage with case as well - if you don’t go for case in the 2NR that is fine but know that as long as the K-aff’s theory of power is a major internal link to their impacts, basically unmitigated aff impacts outweighs a chance of fairness.

Things that will add speaker points: Good line-by-line, smart use of CX, top-level framing in rebuttals, 1ARs that recover after a really good block, and good strategic choices throughout the round. I also tend to reward neg blocks that make good use of analytics as opposed to reading a million nonsense cards.

Kevin Kuswa Berkeley Preparatory School

Last changed on Wed January 3, 2024 at 6:44 AM EDT

Quick 2022 update--CX is important, use it fully. Examples make a big difference, but you have to compare your examples to theirs and show why yours are better. Quality of evidence matters--debate the strengths of your evidence vs. theirs. Finally, all the comments in a majority of paradigms about tech vs. truth are somewhat absurd. Tech can determine truth and vice-versa: they are not opposed or mutually exclusive and they can be each others' best tools. Want to emphasize your tech? Great--defend it. Want to emphasize your truths? Great--but compare them. Most of all, get into it! We are here for a bit of time together, let's make the most of it.

Updated 2020...just a small note: have fun and make the most of it! Being enthusiastic goes a long way.

Updated 2019. Coaching at Berkeley Prep in Tampa. Nothing massive has changed except I give slightly higher points across the board to match inflation. Keep in mind, I am still pleased to hear qualification debates and deep examples win rounds. I know you all work hard so I will too. Any argument preference or style is fine with me: good debate is good debate. Email: kevindkuswa at gmail dot com.

Updated 2017. Currently coaching for Berkeley Prep in Tampa. Been judging a lot on the China topic, enjoying it. Could emphasize just about everything in the comments below, but wanted to especially highlight my thirst for good evidence qualification debates...

_____________________________ (previous paradigm)

Summary: Quality over quantity, be specific, use examples, debate about evidence.

I think debate is an incredibly special and valuable activity despite being deeply flawed and even dangerous in some ways. If you are interested in more conversations about debate or a certain decision (you could also use this to add me to an email chain for the round if there is one), contact me at kevindkuswa at gmail dot com. It is a privilege to be judging you—I know it takes a lot of time, effort, and commitment to participate in debate. At a minimum you are here and devoting your weekend to the activity—you add in travel time, research, practice and all the other aspects of preparation and you really are expressing some dedication.

So, the first issue is filling out your preference sheets. I’m usually more preferred by the kritikal or non-traditional crowd, but I would encourage other teams to think about giving me a try. I work hard to be as fair as possible in every debate, I strive to vote on well-explained arguments as articulated in the round, and my ballots have been quite balanced in close rounds on indicative ideological issues. I’m not affiliated with a particular debate team right now and may be able to judge at the NDT, so give me a try early on and then go from there.

The second issue is at the tournament—you have me as a judge and are looking for some suggestions that might help in the round. In addition to a list of things I’m about to give you, it’s good that you are taking the time to read this statement. We are about to spend over an hour talking to and with each other—you might as well try to get some insight from a document that has been written for this purpose.

1. Have some energy, care about the debate. This goes without saying for most, but enthusiasm is contagious and we’ve all put in some work to get to the debate. Most of you will probably speak as fast as you possibly can and spend a majority of your time reading things from a computer screen (which is fine—that can be done efficiently and even beautifully), but it is also possible to make equally or more compelling arguments in other ways in a five or ten minute speech (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQVq5mugw_Y).

2. Examples win debates. Well-developed examples are necessary to make the abstract concrete, they show an understanding of the issues in the round, and they tend to control our understandings of how particular changes will play out. Good examples take many forms and might include all sorts of elements (paraphrasing, citing, narrating, quantifying, conditioning, countering, embedding, extending, etc.), but the best examples are easily applicable, supported by references and other experiences, and used to frame specific portions of the debate. I’m not sure this will be very helpful because it’s so broad, but at the very least you should be able to answer the question, “What are your examples?” For example, refer to Carville’s commencement speech to Tulane graduates in 2008…he offers the example of Abe Lincoln to make the point that “failure is the oxygen of success” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMiSKPpyvMk.

3. Argument comparison wins debate. Get in there and compare evidence—debate the non-highlighted portion of cards (or the cryptic nature of their highlighting). Debate the warrants and compare them in terms of application, rationale, depth, etc. The trinity of impact, plausibility, and verge analysis doesn’t hurt, especially if those variables are weighed against one another. It’s nice to hear good explanations that follow phrases like “Even if…,” “On balance…,” or “In the context of…” I know that evidence comparison is being done at an extremely high level, but I also fear that one of the effects of paperless debate might be a tilt toward competing speech documents that feature less direct evidence comparison. Prove me wrong.

4. Debates about the relative validity of sources win rounds. Where is the evidence on both sides coming from and why are those sources better or worse? Qualification debates can make a big difference, especially because these arguments are surprisingly rare. It’s also shocking that more evidence is not used to indict other sources and effectively remove an entire card (or even argument) from consideration. The more good qualification arguments you can make, the better. Until this kind of argument is more common, I am thirsty enough for source comparisons (in many ways, this is what debate is about—evidence comparison), that I’ll add a few decimal points when it happens. I do not know exactly where my points are relative to other judges, but I would say I am along a spectrum where 27.4 is pretty good but not far from average, 27.7 is good and really contributing to the debate, 28 is very good and above average, 28.5 is outstanding and belongs in elims, and 29.1 or above is excellent for that division—could contend for one of the best speeches at the tournament.

5. All debates can still be won in 2AR. For all the speakers, that’s a corollary of the “Be gritty” mantra. Persevere, take risks and defend your choices

(https://www.ted.com/talks/angela_lee_duckworth_the_key_to_success_grit). The ballot is not based on record at previous tournaments, gpa, school ranking, or number of coaches.

6. Do not be afraid to go for a little more than usual in the 2NR—it might even help you avoid being repetitive. It is certainly possible to be too greedy, leaving a bloated strategy that can’t stand up to a good 2AR, but I usually think this speech leaves too much on the table.

7. Beginning in the 1AR, brand new arguments should only be in reference to new arguments in the previous speech. Admittedly this is a fuzzy line and it is up to the teams to point out brand new arguments as well as the implications. The reason I’ve decided to include a point on this is because in some cases a 2AR has been so new that I have had to serve as the filter. That is rare and involves more than just a new example or a new paraphrasing (and more than a new response to a new argument in the 2NR).

8. Very good arguments can be made without evidence being introduced in card form, but I do like good cards that are as specific and warranted as possible. Use the evidence you do introduce and do as much direct quoting of key words and phrases to enhance your evidence comparison and the validity of your argument overall.

9. CX matters. This probably deserves its own philosophy, but it is worth repeating that CX is a very important time for exposing flaws in arguments, for setting yourself up for the rebuttals, for going over strengths and weaknesses in arguments, and for generating direct clash. I do not have numbers for this or a clear definition of what it means to “win CX,” but I get the sense that the team that “wins” the four questioning periods often wins the debate.

10. I lean toward “reciprocity” arguments over “punish them because…” arguments. This is a very loose observation and there are many exceptions, but my sympathies connect more to arguments about how certain theoretical moves made by your opponent open up more avenues for you (remember to spell out what those avenues look like and how they benefit you). If there are places to make arguments about how you have been disadvantaged or harmed by your opponent’s positions (and there certainly are), those discussions are most compelling when contextualized, linked to larger issues in the debate, and fully justified.

Overall, enjoy yourself—remember to learn things when you can and that competition is usually better as a means than as an ends.

And, finally, the third big issue is post-round. Usually I will not call for many cards—it will help your cause to point out which cards are most significant in the rebuttals (and explain why). I will try to provide a few suggestions for future rounds if there is enough time. Feel free to ask questions as well. In terms of a long-term request, I have two favors to ask. First, give back to the activity when you can. Judging high school debates and helping local programs is the way the community sustains itself and grows—every little bit helps. Whether you realize it or not, you are a very qualified judge for all the debate events at high school tournaments. Second, consider going into teaching. If you enjoy debate at all, then bringing some of the skills of advocacy, the passion of thinking hard about issues, or the ability to apply strategy to argumentation, might make teaching a great calling for you and for your future students (https://www.ted.com/talks/christopher_emdin_teach_teachers_how_to_create_magic note: debaters are definitely part of academia, but represent a group than can engage in Emdin’s terms). There are lots of good paths to pursue, but teaching is one where debaters excel and often find fulfilling. Best of luck along the ways.

Ashley DeArruda Lourenco Newark Science

Elijah Munro-Ludders SA Harlem East

Dilon Nguyen Prospect Hill Academy Charter School

Last changed on Sat October 21, 2023 at 7:38 AM EDT

Updated: 10/19/2023 Rounds judge for this year: 7

I coach for the John W. McCormack middle school and coach some of the open division kids in the Boston Debate League.

email: dilon.debate@gmail.com , please add me on the chain. Also email if you have any questions/concerns.

My name is Dilon (he/him/his), I debated for 6 years in the Boston Debate League. Been to a couple nat tournaments.

-I was the 1A/2N if that matters to you.

if you only have 10 seconds to know how i am as a judge: Tech>Truth \\ pref me low for Policy. I'll vote on anything you read, I've done cp's and da's to performances. It really comes down to what you tell me to vote on and why(GOOD & CONCISE IMPACT CALC WILL LITERALLY GIVE YOU THE BALLOT). I will most definitely not do work on the flow for you so please keep that in mind. I'm also not super well-versed in high theory K's but can hang if contextualized well.

Keep these things in mind because I take these rules/thoughts very seriously:

1. Be cordial, I want a good debate where both teams are able to learn and have fun. Be funny! I love when a round is fun and I can converse with y'all normally!

2. I do not want to see a veteran team running high theory stuff against a team that is new to debate because you think they can't answer it; it can and may discourage new debaters to ever debate again. Also, disrespect is taken very seriously; it'll reflect on your speaks. I debated in a UDL so i know the huge gap in debate, so please be respectful to every team.

3. Weighing cards is better than giving me multiple pieces of evidence without any impact framing/calc. It'll be rewarded if you can tell me why pieces of evidence are important.

If you say Jessie Pontes loves Framework debate, I might just give you a 30.

The Nitty-Gritty:

there's a thin line between funny and rude so remember that. Be you, do you, be respectful. :)

AFF: run whatever you like. I've ran K AFFS, Policy, and even aspec policy ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. The aff has a burden of proving something, so prove to me why I should vote for you. It's simple really, I just go on a daily explanation of why my solvency mechanism makes sense instead of giving way to many advantages and never explaining them.

K AFF: I love K debates. But, that doesn't mean you can just run anything and assume I understand. I need something to vote for and why I should vote for it. Explanations are needed just like any argument you make in life. That being said, treat it like you would treat any aff. Run it, tell me why it's important and what I as a judge can do by giving y'all the ballot. TVA's are amazing, metaphorical interps awesome, and solid contextualization of philosophies make me super happy. Please! DO NOT CHANGE YOUR STYLE FOR ME! DEBATE AS YOU PLEASE!

K: Don't read lit that is about racism, sexism, ableism good; I will not let the round go on. Also, high theory like nietzsche, Lacan, Agamben, psychoanalysis etc. i'm not to familiar with but if you just explain it like a good story, tell me why the AFF links to the kritik, how it triggers the impacts, and as long as there's good contextualization then I'm all for it. Also, please please please give me a reason to vote on the alt/advocacy, I want to hear what I am doing as the judge by giving you the ballot, not some BS "don't vote aff cool thanks!" kind of alt.

FW/T: give me a voter, why do I say this? No one ever extends voters in the 2A/NR which then cost them the round. TBH, why does your interp matter? How does it allow the opponent then to be apart of it? Why is it something that must be addressed within the round? these questions matter and must be answered.

DA: give me a good link story and impact calc. don't make me do work on the impact calc. I need to hear a real clear reason on why they trigger imp. if it's not explained then i probably won't evaluate it.

CP: sure, go for it. Give me a reason on why the CP is a feasible solution to either solve the aff and the "disad(s)".

Speaks: speed, idc but i need to hear a tag and author. I'm super lenient w/ speaks because everyone has their own style.

Misc: people who have influenced me through my debate career are , Daryl Burch, Moselle Burke, Roger Nix and Richard Davis. take it however you want to.

Grace Ou Lexington HS

Last changed on Tue February 27, 2024 at 2:40 PM EDT

Hi! Please put me on the email chain: graceodebate@gmail.com

I use she/her pronouns and am a current Junior at Lexington High School :)

**Note for online debate: please be clear, if you have tech issues please let me know before the round.

If you're reading my paradigm, you're probably a novice, so here's what I look for:

I'm fine with policy, if you run a k or a kaff make sure you explain everything. I lean more neg on theory (ie condo, 50 state fiat etc). Anything more than 3 condo is too much in the novice division. I default to competing interpretations but can be swayed the other way.

I won't judge kick the CP unless told so.

DO:

Line by line! Extend your own arguments and answer your opponents arguments. Point out if your opponents didn't answer any arguments and explain why that supports your argument. You can use the “they said…. But …” format to answer arguments.

Sign post! Tell me when you are moving onto a new offcase (ie. Next off, the states CP)

Make sure you do impact calc! Why does your impact matter more? (that includes ev comparison- why is your author better?

Make sure you prioritize your arguments in the last speech. Tell me how I should evaluate the debate/which argument I should be voting on (ie. you can vote on the DA debate because they dropped… Which means …)

CP- I’m fine with agent and process CPs. Love a good CP and DA debate.

DAs :) Explain the story of the DA. Especially in the 2nr. Make sure that you are doing good link, internal link and impact calc debate (especially in the 2nr- weigh the impacts of the DA vs the impacts of the case)

Case- LOVE a good case debate. DO Case turns, Impact turns. Get some offense on the case debate flow. Case debate is underutilized so take advantage of it.

T- I default to competing interpretations but can be swayed the other way. If you are going for T in the 2nr either the entire 1nr should be T or a majority of it should be T. I value evidence comparison (date, author qualifications etc.) but I also remember to do impact calc (ie. ground, limits etc.). Make sure you have offense and defense on the flow (ie. why their interpretation is bad and why yours is better).

K- I don’t have a lot of experience here. My experience in Ks goes to the extent of the Cap K and stops about there. If you run anything else please make sure that you explain the entire story of the k.

DON'T

-Be sexist/racist/homophobic/etc.

-Be mean to your partner or opponent

- Be mean to your partner or the opposing team

- Read arguments you don't understand

- Read arguments the opposing team doesn't understand without trying to explain it to them during cx (this is directed at k affs)

- Make tagline extensions (see above)

- Steal prep!!! I see this a lot.

- Make new arguments in rebuttals (1ar, 2nr, 2ar)

- Just point out dropped arguments-- explain what it means and how it helps you

**If you don't know what any of this means, ask me before the round!

Speaks

28.6-29- Amazing:)

28.5- You're doing great!

27-28.4- Could make some improvements

+0.2 if you show me your flows after round

+0.1 if you make me laugh

+0.1 if you win on presumption (but i don't advocate for it)

+0.1 if you mention my partner Anika Basu :)

Good Luck! Have Fun! You got this!

Christopher Polidoro SA Harlem North Central

Brandon Ren Boston Latin Academy HS

Jose Rivera Newark Tech High School

Last changed on Fri January 5, 2024 at 10:27 AM EDT

Policy Debate

It is the responsibility of the debater to look at the paradigm before the start of each round and ask any clarifying questions. I will evaluate the round under the assumption it has been read regardless if you did it or not. I will not check to see if you read my paradigm, nor will I give warnings of any kind on anything related to my paradigm. If you don't abide by it you will reap what you sow I am tired of debaters ignoring it, and myself in a debate round my patience has officially run out.

1. I hate spreading slow down if you want me to flow your arguments if it is not on my flow, it is not a part of the round. It doesn't matter how well it is explained or extended. At best, depending on the speech, it will be a new argument or analytical argument and will be evaluated from then forth as such. I do want to be part of the email chain, my email is thehitman.310@gmail.com, note that just because I am part of the email chain does not mean I flow everything I read. I only flow what I hear so make sure I can hear your arguments. Beware I will be following along to make sure no one is cutting cards and I will call out teams for cutting cards so be sure to do things correctly. I will drop cards before the team and continued cutting will result in me stopping the round and contacting tab. Additionally, I will not yell clear, and I will not give time signals except to inform you your time is up. I find doing this splits my attention in a way that is unfair to the debater and often distracts debaters when called out. You will have my undivided attention.

2. I hate theory and have only voted on it once (current as of 4/12/22). In particular, I do not like disclosure theory and think it's a bogus argument, as I come from a time when there was no debate wiki; as a result, I am highly biased against this argument and don't advise running it in my round. Also, regardless of the argument, I prefer they be related to the topic. I am just as interested in the topic as I expect debaters to be. On that note, I am willing to listen to just about anything as long as they are well articulated and explained(See 3). I have heard some pretty wild arguments so anything new will be fun to hear. Know in order for me to vote on an argument, there needs to be an impact on it, and I need to know how we arrive at the impact. But I want to know more than A + B = C, I need to know the story of how we arrive at your impact and why they matter. I will not simply vote on a dropped argument unless there is no other way to vote and I need to make a decision, I consider this Judge intervention, and I hate doing this. You, as a debater, should be telling me how to vote I will have to deduct speaker points if I have to do any work for you. Keep this in mind during your rebuttals.

3. At the beginning of each round, I am a blank slate; think of me like a 6 or 7-year-old. Explain arguments to me as such. I only evaluate things said in a round; my own personal knowledge and opinion will not affect me. For example, if someone in a round says the sky is purple, reads evidence the sky is purple, and it goes uncontested, then the sky is purple. I believe this is important because I consider anything else judge's intervention which I am highly opposed to and, again, will result in a speaker point deduction. That being said, I default to a standard policy-making framework at the beginning of each round unless I am told otherwise. This also applies in the context of evidence, your interpretation of the evidence is law unless challenged. Once challenged, I will read the evidence and make a decision based on my understanding of the evidence and how it was challenged, this may result in my decision on an argument flipping, the evidence being disregarded, and/or the ballot being flipped.

4. Be aware I do keep track of Speech times, and Prep, and go solely by my timer. My timer counts down and will only stop when you say stop prep. Once you say "Stop prep" I expect you to be ready to send the file. I do not want to hear I need to copy arguments to a file to send as a part of an email chain. I will run prep for that. It should not take long to send a prepared file through the email chain, and I will wait until all participants receive the file before allowing the following speech to start but do not think you can abuse this I will restart prep if it takes an abnormal amount of time. Also extremely important to note I will not stop my timer for any reason once speech has started for any reason outside of extreme circumstances, and technical difficulties do not count. If you choose to stop your timer to resolve your issue before resuming, know that my time has not stopped and your speech time is being consumed. Also, aside from using your phone as a timer, I expect all debaters to not be on their phones during the round (this includes in between speeches and during prep). I think it is disrespectful to debate as an activity and to your opponent(s), and will deduct speaker points for it. Keeping that in mind, I will not evaluate any argument read off a phone, especially if you have a laptop in the round.

5. In JV and VCX, Cross-X is closed, period. NCX, I will only allow it if you ask. If you don't, it is closed. If you decide to have an open CX anyway, I will deduct speaker points.

6. Last but not least, be respectful to me and to each other, and I would appreciate a good show of sportsmanship at the beginning and end of each round. Any disrespect will result in a speaker point deduction on a per-incident basis. Continued disrespect will result in notifying tournament staff and lower-than-average speaker points. Although I do not expect it will go that far.

E-Debate:

A. Cameras must be on at all times. I will not flow teams with cameras off. Do not be surprised if you lose because I did not flow it you have been warned. I will not be lenient with this as I have been in the past.

B. Prep time will be run until speeches are received in the email chain. DO NOT assume you control the time as mentioned above. I am keeping time and will go by my timer. I WILL start the speech timer if you end prep AND THEN send the speech. I have zero tolerance for this, as teams consistently abuse this to steal prep. You should know how to send an email; it should not take long. If you are having genuine technical issues, let me know as the tournament has Tech Time, I can run that timer instead, otherwise, I will run speech time. DO NOT make light of this I am tired of being ignored as if I am not a part of a debate round.

C. Make sure I'm ready this should be common sense, but for some reason, I have to mention it. If you start a speech before I am ready, I will miss some arguments on my flow, and I will be highly annoyed. Your speaker points will reflect this, and you may lose the round as a result if it was a key argument that I did not flow.

D. Also, spreading on camera is a terrible idea, and I highly advise against it from a technical perspective and my general disdain for spreading. E-Debates are tricky enough with varying devices, internet speeds, and audio equipment affecting the quality of the stream, spreading in my experience is exceptionally disadvantageous, do so at your own risk.

E. REMINDER, I Control speech and prep timers, and speeches DO NOT stop because you are reading the wrong speech or can't find where you are at on a document; once the timer has started, it stays running until speech time is over. I do not know why I have to mention this, but recent judging experiences have told me it must be mentioned.

Lincoln-Douglas

I am very new to judging Lincoln-Douglas Debates. As such, I am relying on the debater to frame the debate for me, particularly in the rebuttal. Arguments should always be responsive to what your opponent is saying if you wish to win them. Explain how your arguments interact, and your line of argumentation means that line of argumentation weighs in your favor. In general, I think all arguments should be filtered through the lens of your values and criterion. That work must be done by the debater, not the judge. Additionally if what you say matches what is on my flow the chances of you winning are high.

I want to be on an email change, I ike to follow along as evidence is being read. My email is thehitman.310@gmail.com

Particularly in rebuttals make sure you are filtering aregumens through Value, Criterion and FW.

Michelle Rubin Mamaroneck High School

Christal St. Clair Newark Science

Last changed on Thu July 28, 2022 at 7:59 AM EDT

Please put me on the email chain: christal.stclair12@gmail.com

Yes, you can spread, but PLEASE BE CLEAR.

Yes, it can be open CX.

Any type of argument is fine with me. But keep a SAFE SPACE for EVERYONE!!!

Offense is very important (Winning=Offense).

**************************************************************************************

Generics ...

DO NOT say anything racist/homophobic/transphobic. If you think your opponent has said something that could be one of these just make the argument and impact it out (it'll take like 30 seconds).
I debated for Newark Science for 4 years (doing both Policy and LD) and was primarily a K debater (this does not mean I will vote on one just because it's read) but I've a lot of different arguments.
Impact out all of your arguments!
Truth over tech until tech overwhelms truth (probably because you were inefficient). As in, you should be grouping arguments and working to boil the debate down yourself. Yes, I love big pictures but there needs to be some actual substance too like you can't just read a 4-minute overview in the 1AR over multiple flows that don't engage anything and expect a ballot.

Specifics ...

CPs are fine, just prove mutual exclusivity (b/c I am likely to buy a perm with a good net benefit). A clever PIC is always good and fun but be ready to defend why you get to steal most or certain parts of the aff, especially against a K or Non-T aff.

DAs are good too, but generic links are ineffective, and if the aff proves that to be true I am less likely to vote on it.

- I'm also not as persuaded by nuclear war impacts. You can try, just have a good internal link story (this is very important, make it logical and easy to follow).

Ks are my favorite! BUT I will not pretend to understand "gobbledygook" or really high theory that is not properly explained, so err on the side of over-explanation (esp. if you're reading the philosophy of a long-dead French white dude). Have specific links to the AFF, point out specific warrants and give analysis on how the world of the alt vs. the world of the aff functions, and you got my ballot!

FW shells are interesting as I do not have a bias on it, so do whatever you want. Just prove why I should adopt your FW shell and compare it to the aff's.

I have a HIGH threshold for voting on T/Theory especially if the violation is unreasonable.

But just try to have fun and learn lots in the round!!!

Hannah Stafford SA Harlem West

Kevin Tan Prospect Hill Academy Charter School

Last changed on Mon January 8, 2024 at 10:52 AM EDT

Hey Everyone!

I'm a former debater affiliated with the Josiah Quincy Upper School.

NAULD Nationals Middle School x2

NAULD Nationals High School x2

Please add me to any email chain GMAIL: KTAN14@BOSTONK12.ORG

I'm fine with any arguments presented during a debate. Ts, Ks, and DisAd are fine as long as the cards are disclosed to each other.

If you don't do any of the explaining or reasoning I don't want to be the person that should process everything.

(PLEASE NOTE) I will not be reading the cards unless theres an disagreement with a card specifically.

K-affs are one of my least favorite cases to follow in policy due to the fact that most K-AFFS dont make sense to me in terms of the concepts presented. Although i'm fine with a K-aff and I wont take any points or i'll vote for the other side if you run a K-AFF, I would just prefer a normal AFF. Some of my favorite arguments include a very good impact analysis. I love nothing more than a good analysis and I believe that some of my favorite part in debate happens here. I also like when a debater makes arguments of why they overweight each other.

Theories are something that I will consider as an argument but I need to know why the theory is more significant than the debate.

Cross Ex is something I will consider in a debate and something I will flow on. Cross Ex is really important to me as it has an huge impact on my ballot. This wonderful time questioning sets the debate and gives me an understanding of how you work as an debater.

Speaking wise, I love a good spreader but as a spreader myself, I would always love it when you slow down during the tagline. This ensures that I can mark down the tagline and have it ready to pull up when needed. Please note that MY BALLOT will be depend on what I flow. If you decided to spread and you are not clear and I don't flow, don't expect to win the ballot.

Other than that, I love debates that have character and passion.

Good Luck!

Kevin Tan

Last edited: 1/12/23

Jacob Thomas Success Academy East Flatbush Middle

Last changed on Thu August 10, 2023 at 11:44 AM EDT

Gene Thomas

Debated at the University of Kansas 2016-2020

My ideal debate is a massive detailed counterplan w/ a good DA - do with that information what you will those are just my preferences and what I enjoy the most, but I have judged my fair share of clash debates and will give my more detailed thoughts and preconceptions below

Context is important so any of my thoughts below may change depending on what is happening in a given debate, so any of my ideas listed reflect how I would approach debate absent of judge instruction and the context provided by the situation.

I love seeing students having fun and being engaging. Please, if you feel comfortable, make jokes and employ your personality.

FW/K affs

For K teams: Please do your thing and do what you do best. My thoughts on framework are below so you can tailor your strategy to beat what I think are the most convincing arguments.

FW: I think fairness is an almost impossible impact to win against a prepared opponent and most of the internal links here(like predictability) are just internal links to education arguments anyway so your time is likely better spent making your impact just be education. I also think that a TVA is likely your best way to generate some level of impact mitigation to a non traditional affs offense. If your plan is to say the aff isn’t discussing something important I think you’ll be unlikely to have a lot of success in these types of debates. I’d recommend focusing more on internal link defense or offense because I can almost guarantee the aff is talking about something pretty important.

Random thought but I think your interpretation of the res isn’t any more predictable than the K aff if your interp picks and chooses portions of the resolution.

DAs

What is there really to say here? I like politics DAs, but topic DAs are likely more valuable from an educational perspective.

CPs

I think competition is ideally the result of textual and functional competition. Counterplans ideally have a solvency advocate. 2nc counterplans may persuade me that condo is bad so ideally counterplans have all their planks in the 1nc.

K team: Like I said before please do your thing and my comments on what I think are most persuasive are listed below to help you tailor your strategy to me. One more thought - I think movements alts don’t make a lot of sense to me

Vs K: I think when debating Ks impact framing and framework are your best plan to win because permutations and defense are likely pretty hard to win against most of these types of arguments. I personally prefer the style of big stick aff v K rather than soft left affs but do you.

Stacy Tran Somerville High School

Arden Traynor SA Harlem North Central

Last changed on Fri February 16, 2024 at 12:36 PM EDT

I coach speech at Loyola School. My pronouns are they/them.

My speech paradigm is simple. Don’t be ableist/homophobic/racist/etc when choosing your material, and be a respectful audience member. Otherwise do you. When I was a competitor, I performed the seminal teen vampire romance Twilight as an HI, a DI, and a duo in the same season. Truly anything goes.

_________________

The following is my debate paradigm from my days coaching policy at SA Harlem North Central:

A note for high school JV/varsity competitors: my paradigm is geared towards the kids I typically judge, middle school novices. However, a lot of this applies to high school novice debate, and dare I say higher level high school debate. I'm a little rusty on higher theory/kritikal lit because the median age of my students is 12, so just make sure to explain those texts thoroughly. Feel free to ask me for specifics in the room.

1. Most debates can be won or lost over one central issue. Define that issue for me and tell me why your side should win.

2. Your final speech should always begin and end with the exact reasons you think I should vote for you.

3. Cross examination matters. It is as much a part of the debate as any speech.

4. 99% of T arguments are not convincing and unless the aff is wildly untopical, I will not vote on it. I will almost always default to reasonability, unless you can give me a fantastic reason not to.

5. I recognize that spreading is a necessary evil of this activity. I’d prefer if you wouldn’t for accessibility reasons. If I cannot hear your arguments, I cannot weigh them.

6. Speak like you care about what you're talking about. Inflection will boost your speaker points. Studies have shown that communication is 55% body language, 38% tone of voice, and 7% words only. Keep that in mind as you give your speeches.

7. My least favorite kind of debate to judge is one about procedural issues and debate norms. Keep it on the issues. Let's talk about how to make the world a better place, not whether or not condo is bad (and for the record, I'm on team limited condo good).

8. Any kind of "death good" or "rights bad" argument will get you an automatic L. I'm not here for racism, homophobia, transphobia, cissexism, ableism, classism, or any other oppressive frameworks of thought. Cheap tricks will get you an automatic L.

9. Argumentative clarity > technical flair. Debate can be elegant. Complex topics can be explained in concise language. I will often defer to the team who demonstrates the most effective understanding of the subject matter. Kritiks are welcome only if you deeply understand them.

10. SIGNPOST AND ROADMAP!!! Organization matters.Time that I have to spend shuffling my flow tabs and figuring out what exactly you're responding to is not time that I'm spending actually hearing you. Take that extra 30 seconds of prep to make sure your speech is actually in the order you're saying it's in.

11. Above all else, be kind to each other. Demonstrate respect in the way you listen and respond to your opponents' arguments.

12. If you're not taking notes during my RFD I'll stop talking and leave :) I know that sounds really aggressive but it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to spend time and effort parsing through my notes and giving detailed feedback if you're not going to write it down somewhere.

Atul Venkatesh Lexington HS

Last changed on Wed January 10, 2024 at 3:15 AM EDT

Email: atulhari@gmail.com - Please put me on the email chain.

Lexington High School - Class of 2023

Dartmouth College - Class of 2027 (Not debating)

Email chain should be titled as follows:

Tournament name Round number --- Aff team [Aff] vs. Neg team [Neg]

E.g. Big Lex Round 6 --- Lexington HV [Aff] vs. Lexington TK [Neg]

Big Lex Update

Assume I have zero topic knowledge. We're probably going to have a better time if the topic-related jargon is explained within the debate. I've also found myself getting increasingly frustrated at the lack of strategic vision in rounds, and this is reflected in the speaker points I give. Do what you to do and do it well. I have a high threshold for argument development and strategy when giving out good speaks.

Princeton Update

Competitive policy debater in High School, qualled to the TOC junior and senior year reading mostly Policy/LARP mixed with an occasional kritik. I won't have a problem evaluating your arguments but assume I have zero topic knowledge. If you choose to run tricks, run them creatively/properly. If you run them badly/abusively, I won't be too happy. Most of my paradigm is applicable, so feel free to read through it and ask me any questions.

TLDR:

Tech>Truth

I'm down to evaluate basically any argument. My high school career consisted of exclusively policy on the aff, and reasonably flex on the neg. Good debating will most certainly overcome any argumentative bias you may think I have.

Long version:

I'll give my thoughts on a bunch of off-case and rate how my affinity toward them

I love a well-crafted CP that is part of a bigger strategy. 6 plank advantage CPs? Not so much. Also not the biggest fan of contrived process CPs. Process CPs that are worded smartly and executed well are a joy to watch but it's been a bit tiring seeing the same CPs recycled for 3 straight years. As a result, I love to evaluate a competition debate.

An underutilized aspect of CP debates is the internal net benefit. If the aff mitigates the INB enough, I can be persuaded on aff outweighs and if the neg explains the INB enough, INB outweighs becomes a dangerous strategy.

Aff-specific solvency advocates and clear opportunity costs are ideal.

DA:

Love em. As a 2A, I had my fair share of DA 1NRs so I have thought a lot about its strategic purpose. If you read a contrived DA, link articulation and contextualization is almost as valuable as the cards themselves. Turns case and impact weighing are often too shallow and definitely need to be a core part of your strategy.

I would obviously prefer a topic-specific DA to politics, but I am more receptive to the latter than most.

On the aff, cheaty DAs can be easily beaten by smart analytics. Take that approach with me in the back. Smart analytics > Nonsensical cards.

Not against it. T subsets was a core negative strat senior year so I would say I recognize the purpose of T. Approach T like you would approach any other argument - With an offense/defense paradigm.

I'll probably be less receptive to new 2ar extrapolation - If you got caught lackin, you got caught lackin

Critiques on the neg:

Probably more receptive towards the K than my background may indicate. I'm probably more stringent toward link specificity than most. Permutations are underutilized by aff teams. Aff teams should probably respond to K tricks.

Critical affirmatives vs. Framework

I was always on the FW side of these debates but that doesn't mean I am not a "bad" judge for Kaffs. Presumption-level arguments by the negative are valued higher but the neg is probably in a tough position if they concede the aff's theory of power.

KvK

I have only debated in one of these rounds in my career so I don't have a lot of experience with these types of debates. I am probably on the side of no perms in a KvK debate but can be convinced otherwise.

Misc:

Condo is probably good unless you can prove in-round abuse.
Read my fair share of memes in high school so I won't be opposed to seeing them read in round. If you do read them, you need to actually be able to defend/extend the arguments.
Please make a joke about Jeffrey He or praise the Green Bay Packers in your speech. It will make me happy.

Sophie Wang Lexington HS

Last changed on Sat January 21, 2023 at 4:38 AM EDT

LD and PF: I am not experienced in either, nor do I have any topic knowledge. If you want to be safe, treat me like a lay judge.

Please add me to email chains at swangdebate@gmail.com

You can always email me after rounds with questions and such

I’m Sophie Wang, she/her, a junior at Lexington High School, policy debater for 3 years.

Top Level:

Be clear. I can’t weigh your arguments if I can’t hear them, esp online when the mic might not be that clear. Signpost between arguments and flows.

Don’t spread analytics or theory as fast as you would cards.

Respect your opponents, judges and any spectators

Tech>truth

Won’t vote on racism good, sexism good, homophobia good, or any arguments that are homophobic, racist, sexist.

Clipping cards in varsity is probably an auto-loss. For novices, I’ll probably just give a warning, but let the round proceed. If your opponent does it, point it out to me.

Explain your evidence, and why you win the flow.

Line by line, impact calc, ev comparison, argument extension, are all good.

FLOW please.

If you mark your cards (which is fine) offer a marked copy at the end of the speech.

Time all your speeches, don’t assume someone else will. Don’t steal prep.

Open CX is fine

Virtual debate:

Please try to have cameras on

CPs

On the aff, perms are great to take out cps but make sure you explain the scenario of the perm and why it works. Throwing out 5 perms in the 2ac only works if you actually extend them properly.

On the neg, explain really well why the perm can’t work/is worse than the cp alone. Make sure I know what the net benefit is throughout the round.

On cp theory, my default is that condo is good, and I have a somewhat high bar to vote on condo bad, but I’m not against voting for it and I think it’s a good argument. Be specific to the round and extend terminal impacts.

I mostly err neg on process cps and adv cps, but I’m willing to vote on any theory if it’s actually extended throughout the round.

I have a somewhat high bar for justification of PICs, so you need to have a very good justification of why an idea or word is bad.

DAs

You need impact calc, and why it outweighs the case. Would be great if it turns case too. Make sure you explain links.

Even better if it’s avoided by a cp :3

Framing:

Explain to me why your framing is good and better than your opponents. Otherwise I will default to probability*magnitude, Util framing.

In impact calc, extend probability, time frame, magnitude. I’m willing to weigh that any of the three outweigh the others, but you have to explain why it outweighs.

I do think that saying extinction outweighs all time-frame and probability (such as, saying even the slightest probability of extinction outweighs all else) needs to have more explanation and extension for me to completely buy it.

Besides core generics, I’m not super familiar with most K lit. Doesn’t mean I won’t vote for it, just that you have to explain your argument very clearly or I might not understand it.

Specific links are better than generic links but in the end links are still links and I’ll still weigh them, as long as they’re explained well .

On the aff, focus on case o/w and turns the K, extinction o/w, disproving the theory, winning that fairness matters. Defense is always good but not enough to win.

K-Affs. Make sure you win why your aff is better for debate.

On FW/T-USFG, I prob err more on FW but I’m not against voting for K Affs.

I think fairness is an impact. Usually FW teams lose on the impact framing debate or when they lose the internal link debate.

K affs have to either impact turn debate in general, the model of debate, or the reading of FW. Talk about why the aff is good for certain participation or why it is good to facilitate certain care communities. Kaffs shouldn't go for the W/M unless they have a plantext.

On KvK debates, I haven’t really seen any KvK before.

Topicality

On the neg, don’t forget to extend impacts in every speech, and why they should be preferred over the opponents. Make sure your definition and violation are clear.

I’ll only consider the quality of the interpretation if the opponents bring it up.

On the aff, I advise that you have and extend a counter interp throughout the debate, even if you are winning “we meet.” If you don’t have a counter interpretation, as long as the neg wins the slightest probability of the aff violating their definition (which they have plenty of time to explain in the 2nr,) then the judge is forced to weigh that violation and impacts, because you’re not providing an alternative. I won’t auto vote you down but it allows the neg to easily garner offense.

Vikki Ware Success Academy Ditmas Park Middle School

Alan Yang Lexington HS

Messai Yigletu BASIS DC

Last changed on Fri April 19, 2024 at 4:45 PM EDT

Messai Yigletu: Head Debate Coach at BASIS DC

4 years experience as a debater in high school, LD.

Coach for policy debaters, middle & high school. (Presently coaching.)

I currently coach the policy debate team at BASIS DC and have done so since the 2020 season.

would like to be on email chains for case files: messaiyigletu@gmail.com

if you are reading this, that means I will be hearing you debate pretty soon! good luck! take a minute to read a few important points that will help you in this debate.

Arguments/Debate

not usually a fan of spread/speed. Usually fine + can keep up if I have case files & you read taglines.

SIGNPOST ALL ARGUMENTS! Expecting me to guess what off you are reading based on evidence is irritating and causes unnecessary confusion + various different names/key words in round for the same block/arg. Be clear and straightforward.

Prefer to hear roadmaps at the beginning of every speech.

fine with K as long as it is clearly explained and set out in the speech. not guaranteed that I will have prior knowledge and even if I do, prefer a deep and analytical explanation of your thesis. Make sure to give a detailed/clear explanation - especially w/framing + alt.

comparative + clear clash & addressing all arguments on flow are key winning points for me.

do not assume I will automatically indicate drops in anyone's favor. if drops occur, you are responsible for addressing and explaining the warrants for why the drop is key relative to the round. (Actual drops occuring, plz don't just try and lie in 2AR/2NR. yes - it has happened.) all args on flow should be extended or specifically kicked out of throughout the debate by both sides.

speaker points are awarded basis on quality of speeches, time usage, and clarity.

keep it respectful, especially during CX. intensity and passion are fine and even encouraged, but never make it personal/attempt to take it to a point of disrespect.

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Lexington Winter Invitational

2023 — Lexington, MA/US

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