Anton Angeletti - he/him/his - aangelettidebate@gmail.com

Background: In high school, I competed in public forum for Lincoln Southwest, mostly on the Nebraska circuit. Graduated in 2022, currently a Computer Science + Mathematics major at UNL.

Don't be disrespectful. Safety and inclusivity come before everything else in debate.

GENERAL

I don't coach, so it's best to assume I know very little about the topic

I evaluate on the flow. If you want me to vote on an argument, it has to be in both summary and final focus.

Rebuild/frontline in 2nd rebuttal, you don't need to in 1st

Summary is the most important speech. I'd recommend collapsing on important arguments instead of trying to bring everything through, but I don't care what structure or strategy you go for as long as it's consistent in the latter half of the round.

Extending evidence: don't just tell me the author's name, tell me what they say and why it matters

If you want something from cross to matter in the round, bring it up in a speech

Signposting is more important than offtime roadmaps (but both are nice)

Tech > truth, unless you're straight up lying

Do the weighing for me, impacts matter more and more as the round progresses

Clash is super important. Make sure you're debating at each other, not past each other

Defense isn't sticky, extend your responses or I won't evaluate them

If you control the narrative for the round, you win the round

The messier an argument gets, the more likely I am to ignore it completely.

Procedural stuff:

Email chains are the best way to share evidence

I won't flow off speech docs, barring tech issues

Time yourselves, as well as each other

If you make an effort to keep the round running quickly, I'll bump speaks

Theory: I'd much rather judge substance than theory/other progressive arguments (doesn't mean I won't vote on it though). Feel free to ask me about it if you're thinking about running an off.

Any questions, just ask me before/after round or email me at aangelettidebate@gmail.com.

Hello! My name is Cameron Coen (he/him/his) and I debated at Southwest High School (in Lincoln, Nebraska) for 4 years in PF with my wonderful partner Molly O'Brien. I've competed at nationals two times and successfully secured a Prickles.

If there's an email chain please add me: cdcoen7@gmail.com

IMPORTANT STUFF: The most important thing within the debate round is the safety and inclusivity of all debaters. If you plan on running something sensitive, please have a content warning and a backup case/contention. Additionally, any hateful or blatantly racist, transphobic/homophobic, sexist, etc arguments will not be weighed in the round.

How I Evaluate a Round:

Tech----X-----Truth

Impact! Some of the best rounds are lost because teams do not impact (weighing is equally as important, make the decision for me). I will try my best to evaluate what I have on the flow, but please also convince me. I will most generally vote on an argument that has the better warranting and weighing.

If you want me to consider an argument, please carry it through all your speeches.

Theory, Ks, etc: I am not familiar with progressive arguments/theory. I would highly recommend reconsidering before running theory in front of me. I don't know/never hit a K before. You're probably better off trying to avoid having me evaluate such a round. However, I feel like I would be more sympathetic to these types of arguments if there has been a serious offense in round.

Preferences in terms of what's going on in the round:

I appreciate off-time roadmaps, but please keep them short.

If you're reading evidence, please take prep time to do so.

Rebuttal: You probably should frontline in second rebuttal interacting with any offense read in first rebuttal.

Summary: Please do not extend every single argument possible; collapse on arguments you know you're winning (refined and implicated arguments > mass card dumping). Extend your warrants specifically and give me reasons to prefer over your opponents. Don't just give me author names and expect me to know what you're talking about.

Final Focus: This speech should mirror the summary speech. Tell me why you're winning and weigh!

Cross: I don't flow cross, but if you really want to bring something from cross mention it in your speech.

If you have any further questions ask me before the round starts, find me around the tournament, or email me and I would be happy to answer them.

I can flow speed, but if I can’t understand you- I won’t flow it.

QUALITY of the blocks OVER the QUANTITY of blocks you can get out.

I don’t care if you’re mean- as long as you’re not personally mean. Attack arguments, not the person themselves.

DO NOT STEAL PREP!!! Or I will dock points and feel obligated to vote for the other team.

DO NOT ASK FOR CARDS if you aren’t going to use them in your next speech!!! It’s SO annoying and wastes my time. I will dock points and feel obligated to vote for the other team. BUT, with that being said: ask for cards if you think your opponent is lying. If you don’t have the card, I will dock points. Know your case, and don’t waste my time.

Run whatever you want.

I’m not familiar with policy strategies, but if you explained it well enough maybe I could vote off it. If you’d like a chance of winning, maybe don’t though.

I would consider myself a tech judge, so speaking pretty doesn’t matter to me. You may be the better speaker, but that doesn’t mean you’re the better debater. I vote off arguments.

Make sure your arguments are cleanly extended.

I love heated crossfires, so make it spicy!!

I DO NOT FLOW arguments in the crossfire. I take that time to write feedback in tabroom or look at my flow. BUT I do try and listen!! If I think you made a good point, I hope you bring it up in your next speech so I can flow it in the round. I think the point of crossfire is to catch your opponent lacking, so ask good questions and be on point.

Tell me what to vote on in your summary and follow that same story into final focus. If you don’t tell me what to vote on, I’ll vote on what I think is most important.

The round goes however you want it to go. I’m chill with anything & I’ll try my best to adapt to whatever you guys want me to adapt to.

Speaker points should always be good unless you do something to tank them!

Don’t stress too much and do your best!

If you have any questions about my paradigm, feel free to ask me before the round starts!

If you have any questions after the round, my email is vikesgirl146@gmail.com

Hi! email: rodneyedwards402@gmail.com

Former School: Millard North High School (Omaha, Nebraska)

Competition Record: Competeted in LD, Congress and Extemp for 3 years. Qualified to nationals my senior year in the House.

Judging Record: Judged Congress at Nationals in Prelims and Sems. Judged local Nebraska PF and LD Circuit for 5 years.

Congress

-Direct clash is critical. You are not speaking in a vacuum.

-I don’t care about in-depth explanations about who you’re citing as long as you’re citing it truthfully and the warrant is there/true.

-Make your speeches interesting by actually telling me something new or important.

PF

I'm pretty comfortable in just about any round. I'm open to voting for unorthodox arguments, as long as they're fleshed out and weighed well. Weighing your arguments should be your go to in front of me. Speed shouldn't be an issue. If there is an evidence issue, address it in the round. I'm not morally opposed to theory in PF, but it better actually be abusive.

LD

I'm pretty familiar overall with the format and argumentation styles. (Theory, T, Phil, CP's...) Try not to get hyper-specific with any jargon. Please send me docs and tell me if you didn't read certain cards. I enjoy hearing interesting philosophical arguments, and I don't like tricks. I'm open to different types of arguments as long as you explain well what the role of the ballot is supposed to be. I default to a "competiting worlds" paradigm. If you want me to vote for something, tell me and argue why. I'll usually always disclose. If there is any likely tech issue, try to inform me before the round if possible, but I will be understanding if something happens in round.

If something's not addressed here, feel free to ask before the round!

I am and have been the coach at LHS for the last 9 years. I was also the 2021 NSDA's National Coach of the Year.

General Notes-
* I am in tab much more often than I'm behind a round at this point. As such, I may be rusty on some more specific lingo/ trends(read as: don't just label an argument a RVI and expect me to accept it on face, explain why it's important)
* I have a disability that has varying levels of impact depending on the day; when it's flaring up, I might have trouble flowing spreading, or processing information at that speed. If you don't want to exclude me from the round, it'd be helpful to check in with me before the round starts. I'm also super happy to talk about it if you have more specific questions :)

*I will NOT vote on: racism, homophobia, transphobia, sexism, anything other bigotry. Please just be cool people.

*If your case has any material that could be psychologically damaging or harmful, trigger warnings are a necessity. Graphic material includes, but is not limited to descriptions of: violence based on gender identity, sexuality, or race; police brutality; suicide; sexual assault; domestic abuse. Because debate should be safe and accessible to all debaters, TW's should be articulated in order to include everyone. Refusing to provide TW's for graphic cases creates an exclusive and threatening atmosphere and will effect speaker points, but not the decision.

PF-
Arguments- I'm very open to whatever style of argument you want to make in round, so long as you do it well. Don't just dump cards, actually offer in round analysis and engage with your opponent's arguments. If something is important to the round, I expect you to spend time on it. Regardless of the style, I need to see some sort of weighing mechanism in round- that could come from an observation or impact calc (or whatever else) so long as I have some sort of idea what I should be valuing. Absent of that, I'll default to generic util weighing. I prefer cut cards over paraphrasing, but will listen to either.
Speed- I prefer a moderate, not ludicrous, pace. If you want to go absurdly fast, that's fine, but understand I'll miss some details. I think it's really important for speed to be justified by content- so, if you're talking fast enough that you have to reiterate the same underview three times because you're out of content, I'd rather you slow down. At any speed, I really value clarity. It's also good to know that some days I physically won't be able to flow super quickly, so it wouldn't hurt to double check with me about speed before round.
Round Structure- First and foremost, I expect the second rebuttal to address both sides of the flow. So, make sure, in front of me, you're allocating your time in a way such that you're able to address everything important, as dropped arguments are essentially conceded.
I don't expect line by line argumentation in summary and final focus. Instead, the round should be narrowed down to the main points. This is where I expect a lot of weighing and analysis, not just 50 author names back to back.

LD-
Standards/ Framework- I don't have strong feelings any one way about V/Cr vs Single Standard and/or RoB etc. I initially learned LD through a pretty traditional framing, so I tend to track that way myself, but, I'm open to whatever you want to do if you explain in. If you're running some philosophy that's out there or uncommon, it would benefit you to explain it clearly.
Theory- I'm down, but it actually needs to be theory (read as: "Speed is unfair/ exclusionary" isn't an argument I'll evaluate; Interp, violation standard, voter framing is)
Ks- See above, I'll happily hear out a k with structure that actually functions within a round. YOU HAVE TO OFFER A LINK or there's no way for me to evaluate the K
A Priori/ Prima facie/ probably other things- justify why it matters and I'll hear it out.
**As a general interpretation, I view theory/ks/ a priori arguments etc as arguments. They aren't some sort of magical trap card that automatically win you the round. They are arguments that need to be interacted with and extended like anything else. Reading an ableism K in the NC and then leaving it there isn't going to win me over. Your opponent answering an identity K with arguments doesn't make them inherently bad, they're interacting with an argument you put out
Solvency- I don't inherently think solvency is important in LD. This doesn't mean that I won't hear out solvency arguments, but you need to justify why I should care about solvency for it to be a voting issue for me. "The aff doesn't offer any solvency" on its own isn't enough for me to vote on.


CX-
**I really don't judge policy all that often. If I'm behind your round, things were likely pretty desperate from a tab or judge hire perspective. Despite that, I will do my best to adjudicate the round- you'll probably just need to slow down a bit on taglines and important analysis for me.

Michelle Keever

My key preference to share at this time is: please do not rush. Take your time to clearly signpost your contentions, sources, and evidence.

GENERAL NOTES

*Any abusive behavior on your part will probably lose you the round. Debate is about the free exchange of ideas, so if you spread with the purpose of deception, constantly interrupt your opponent(s), or just make an attempt to erode the integrity of the event, I cannot accept your arguments.

*It's your job to tell me about why you won the round. Where was the clash? What were the voters? Why do your impacts outweigh theirs? I will do my best not to allow my own opinions and/or background knowledge to influence who wins the round.

REBUTTALS
It is a debater’s obligation to address both sides of the flow in rebuttal speeches. A debater who neglects to both attack the opposing case and rebuild against the prior rebuttal will have a very difficult time winning my ballot as arguments that go unaddressed are essentially conceded. A team that ignores this bit of adaptation should expect to see speaker points that reflect a performance that I see as half-complete.

SUMMARIES
The summaries should be treated as such - summarize the major arguments in the debate. Debaters should start to narrow the focus of the round at this point. YOU should be the one to tell me the main clash of the round and why you won.

SPEAKER POINTS:

30 – Perfection/deeply impressive

29 - Near perfect speaking/execution/argumentation/strategy

28 - Good on pretty much all fronts

27 - Average

26-25 - Below average in one or more ways

24 or fewer - Deeply problematic in one or more ways, likely offensive in nature/something warranting an apology to one or more people and a discussion with your coach

*Note: Tbh I have little topic knowledge of the April PF topic, so it would be best to stick to lay args or just explain it clearly in round

General

• Don't be rude to your opponents during, before, or after the round.
• I have some difficulty hearing, so I would appreciate it if you send speech docs! I will also bump speaking points if you send speech docs.
• I do not understand K's or Theory, unless it is it is disclosure theory, trigger warnings theory, or paraphrasing theory. I flow it, but it may not weigh heavy in my decision.
• Email: blmeints1@gmail.com or bmeints@lps.org

PF

I can handle any speed however, I am out of practice, so if you are going to talk fast make sure you are speaking clear and you are more in-depth in your arguments.

All evidence used in the round should be accessible for both sides. Failure to provide evidence in a timely manner when requested will result in either reduced speaker points or an auto loss (depending on the severity of the offense).

I prefer the final focus to be focused on framing, impact weighing, and round story. Second rebuttal should extend their case. Lastly, not sure this is still a thing anywhere but I want to mention it still. The team that speaks first does not need to extend their own case in their first rebuttal since nothing has been said against it yet.

Congress

In Congress I like to see sound use of evidence and non-repetitive speeches. I appreciate congress folks who flow other speeches and respond to them. I also like to see extension and elaboration on arguments, referencing the congressperson who initially made the argument. Questioning is also important, because I want to make sure that you are able to defend your arguments!

Hi all! My name is Loc Nguyen (he/him/his) and I am a sophomore at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln majoring in Computer Science & Math.

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Experience:

Competing

2018-2022: Public Forum Debate at Lincoln Southwest High School

2023-Present: NFA-LD (and some NDT/CEDA) at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln [Nuclear Posture]

Coaching

2022: Lab Instructor at NDF

2022-Present: Assistant Coach for Lincoln Southwest High School

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IMPORTANT:

The most important thing within the debate round is the safety and inclusion of all debaters. If you plan on running something sensitive, please have a content warning and an anonymous opt-out with a backup case or contention.

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General:

Top-Shelf: I view debate as a game and my job is to evaluate who wins the game. I am normally tech over truth, however, I'm pretty stupid most of the time so judge instruction is key. I will try my best to evaluate what I have on the flow, but please also convince me. I will most generally vote on an argument that has the better warranting and explanation as well as weighing implication. Unless the tournament expressly forbids disclosing, I will disclose the round's result and give an oral RFD with any and all arguments relevant to my decision.

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Evidence Exchanges:

Send speech docs before you speak, this is non-negotiable. At a minimum, send all pieces of evidence you plan on introducing in your speech. PLEASE SEND CUT CARDS! I prefer SpeechDrop over email chains. If we have to do an email chain, the subject of the email should have the following format, or something close to it: "Tournament Name - Round # Flight A/B - Team Code (side/order) v Team Code (side/order)" Please add BOTH nlocdebate@gmail.com and lincolnsouthwestpublicforum@gmail.com to the email chain.

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PF:

Rebuttal: Number your responses, they're pretty helpful. Second rebuttals should frontline arguments they want to collapse on, and interact with first rebuttal responses.

Summary/Final Focus: Please do not extend every single argument possible; collapse on arguments you know you're winning (refined and implicated arguments over mass card dumping). Defense isn't sticky; you have to extend it in first summary and I'll flow the responses through, or I don't evaluate it for the rest of the round. Don't just give me author names and expect me to know what you're talking about; extend your warrants specifically and give me reasons to prefer over your opponents. Please weigh and weigh comparatively. Anything in Final Focus should be in Summary.

Cross: I don’t flow or really listen to cross. I’m usually browsing the internet or shutting my brain off. If you want to bring something from cross, mention it in your speech.

Prep: You must take prep time if you are reading or calling for evidence.

Speed: Generally I will be fine with whatever as long as I can understand you and flow. However, I can only understand so much. I won’t be flowing off of the speech doc barring tech issues. Enunciate and be clear. I’ll just stop flowing if you keep going too fast and you might not be very happy.

"Progressive" PF:

1) Theory: Perhaps my views will change as I continue to judge more debates or once PF reaches more clear-cut norms for the event. I believe theory has its place in debate. My general thoughts are that disclosure is good as well as open-sourcing and paraphrasing is bad. I think more importantly is putting the debate into context. Keep in mind the participation of teams that you're also debating, as well as their knowledge and/or access to coaches or resources.

2) K's: I have limited experience listening to and judging K’s as well as debating them in college. I'll be willing to listen to them in PF, however, time constraints in PF would probably limit you from engaging in good K debate. Err on the side of over-explanation if you are pursuing this route; I probably don't know your literature. Some kind of material action in the alt is probably good, but I'll leave K articulations and the debate up to you.

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LD:

Pref Sheet

LARP/Policy - 1

K - 2

Phil - 4

Tricks - Strike

I occasionally judge high school LD, but I don't coach LD. Don’t expect me to always be up to date on circuit norms since I don't judge the event frequently. Defer (mostly) to my PF paradigm if you want to get more of a sense of how I’ll probably evaluate the round, but I’ll be receptive to whatever. In high school I was exposed to a lot more traditional LD from my teammates, but my competition experience in NFA leans policy. Take that as you will. That being said, I’m willing to listen to anything as long as it’s well warranted and implicated and explained well enough for me to vote on it. If I don’t understand it well enough to vote on it, I won’t.

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If you have any further questions ask me before the round starts, find me around the tournament, or email me at nlocdebate@gmail.com and I would be happy to answer them.

About Me:

I am a freshman at Colgate University and competed in Public Forum for four years at Lincoln Southwest High School. I fully qualified to TOC gold & competed at Nationals 3x. I have additional experience with world school's and extemp debate

General:

*Don't spread --> Some speed is fine, but I can only write/type so fast

*Extend your links --> I don't care if you explained your link chain in the last speech, please thoroughly explain it again.

*I don't like nuclear war impacts, and will rarely vote off them.

*Give an off-time road map and signpost during your speech

* I will not evaluate theory/k's/ect in PF.

* I won't listen during cross x, if something important is said bring it up in your speeches

* Be nice and have fun!

Public Forum:

Constructive --> No general preferences, try to make eye contact and read at a steady pace.

Cross --> Be respectful and make sure you are alternating questions. I do not typically pay that much attention during cross

Rebuttal --> Second rebuttal MUST rebuild. Try to do an even amount of carded and analytical responses. If you have cards that contradict each other, explain why I should prefer yours!

Summary --> This is the most important speech! A good summary can definitely be the deciding factor in the round. Make sure you weigh each argument (that includes your opponents). Clarify the major voters in the round and why you win. Weigh, Weigh Weigh!!!

Final Focus: Mirror the summary speech and weigh!

Hello! My name is Tessa (she/they), and I’m a former PF debater and now a college student enrolled in legal studies.

I don’t know much about this season’s topic, so, while you should be doing this anyways, be sure to clearly explain your arguments and why they should matter to me.
Focus on carrying your impacts and warrants through your speech; I will judge based on magnitude and probability more than timeframe, but it’s still an important point! If an argument is not responded to, I will drop it on the side that didn’t respond.

Try not to spread too much, though if it’s necessary to fit your speech into your allotted time, I’ll do my best to keep up with you. :)

BE POLITE! During cross make sure you aren’t acting condescending, belittling your opponent, or just being rude in general. Focus on asking questions about your opponents’ points, just don’t be smug about it.

Have fun!!! It’s been a while since I’ve been in the debate scene (something to keep in mind), but I am still so excited to judge for you! Debate is about learning and having a good time, so have compassion for your opponents, and keep your head up if something doesn’t go your way.

Thank you for reading my paradigm! Feel free to ask me any questions you have in person, too. :)

SDSU Microbiology

Competed in Pf Junior and Senior year as well as some Policy in SD

Okay with speed as long as you’re not cutting corners in explanations, please slow down when naming cards/warrants or impacts and make sure your opponents are okay with speed as well

Spreading on your opponents to the point that they can't keep up is just plain rude, however I do like speed so please just ask if everyone is okay with it

Impact Calc/Weighing is important

ANY DROPPED TURNS WILL BE WEIGHED HEAVY

Please be respectful to your opponents

Question: What are the Curds doing?

Answer: "The Curds are just being curds"

Big fan of "off the road quick maps"

PLUS .1 speaks for any CBUM/Ronnie Coleman references (must be good tho)

not a fan of nuclear extinction debates- Im interested in hearing how nuclear tensions rising creates further impacts but not in how Putin waking up on the wrong side of the bed leads to global human extinction

Prioritize education.

I am a current freshman at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a Public Forum coach for Lincoln Southwest HS.

--> Debate for UNL.

--> '23 grad from Lincoln Southwest High School.

--> 4 years in HS Public Forum.

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Important:

**I would like for a speech drop / email chain to be started before round for evidence exchanges if possible; please add me to the email chain: schadlserena@gmail.com

**I flow on paper so keep that in mind when you're speaking - I may not get everything down so it is important to emphasize important arguments multiple times!

**If you plan on running something sensitive, please have a trigger warning at the top of your case as well as a backup case if someone in the round opts out.

**For online debate, please keep your cameras on through the whole round! I need to see your faces :)

**You must use prep time in order to read evidence from another team! I will drop speaks if you are not abiding by NSDA rules.

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TLDR

How I Evaluate Rounds:

**I am more tech over truth. I will evaluate based off of if you extend your evidence/warrants cleanly throughout speeches. I do not bring my outside knowledge into the round and it is up to you to tell me if I should gut check or call for their evidence. The easiest way to win my ballot is if you clearly warrant, extend, and explain your arguments as well as have sufficient frontlines and blocks against your opponent's arguments. I am not a big fan of blippy argumentation/card dumping - I think good debaters only have to provide a few great arguments on a contention rather than having 7-10 poorly warranted ones.

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Public Forum:

**Theory can be okay in PF, but only run it if you are aware that your teammates a) know what disclosure/paraphrasing is and b) have no contact info on the wiki/other ways they'd like you to contact them before round. I do not think you should be running theory shells against JV or against schools that are unaware of disclosure/paraphrasing norms. I am more willing to vote for disclosure/paraphrasing if both teams are well aware of these norms and know what theory is. (I do think disclosure is good, but you have to prove that to me in-round).

**K's generally don't go well in PF and are run very poorly most times, I think running a framework or framing about things like structural violence, etc. is more applicable to the event. Please be topical and relate it to the resolution!

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Round Preferences:

*Sign-posting & road maps are a must! I need to know where you are on the flow so that I can write it down.

*Speed: I can handle you spreading as long as you a) have a speech doc and b) your opponents are okay with it. I will dock speaks if you are unclear or if you opponents have to tell you to slow down/be clear multiple times throughout the round.

*Impacts: Please try not to use the 900 mil. poverty card unless you can substantially prove to me that it will happen, I think the card is overused and rarely links to the arguments being made. Extinction impacts are okay in some instances, usually needs a framing mech for me to want to vote for it - likewise if you want me to prefer high probability impacts. Also, I am not a fan of low probability, high magnitude impacts but I will vote for them.

Cross-X: Cross does not impact my overall decision, I am usually writing feedback during this time; but it should be a time to find holes in your opponent's arguments. Refrain from asking surface level questions like "what is your impact" and try to go deeper into your questioning. Also, any statements like "that's a new argument" or "you conceded this" should not be talked about in cross - cross-x is not a speech! Lastly, if something important happened in cross, it needs to be brought up in the next speech.

Rebuttal: Front lining (responding to arguments made on your case in first rebuttal) in second rebuttal is a MUST! I think it is hard to gain any offense on the flow if arguments go un-responded. Also, please do not talk about your case unless it is a cross-application in first rebuttal, this is fundamental for the first speaking team to solely attack their opponent's case.

Summary: This is the most important speech in the round so this should be a time when you are telling me why you should win! I personally did a line by line summary, but giving me voters is also a great option as well. The most important aspect though is that you are weighing and telling me why your warranting and impacts are better than your opponent's.

Final Focus: This speech should mirror the summary, so please match their voters if they gave any. Line by line is not preferable but at least tell me why you're winning. The final focus is intended to focus the round and give overarching claims and important points that give me a comparison between the AFF and NEG worlds.

**be strategic, find ways to collapse your arguments - try not to go for the whole buffet - pick one or two contentions (if you're running more than 2)

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LD/Policy:

I am not as familiar with this event in the high school context but I do understand basic policy arguments in terms of NFA LD standards. I have also competed in NDT-CEDA so I am familiar with those policy norms. Lots of the way that I will evaluate the round fall under what I have written in the PF section above, but I will also try to adapt to your style.

General:

--I think sending a doc before each speech if you have new cards you're reading (analytics not needed) is a MUST for varsity debaters.

--A lot of times this event tends to be too heavy on card-dumping and misses a lot of the good weighing interactions. If you can do some sort of framework weighing, impact weighing, etc. - it'll be much easier to win my ballot.

--Tricks are a no-go for me.

K's, Theory, Topicality:

--K's are much more applicable to these events than PF, you just need to substantially prove to me that the alt can solve back for whatever bad thing the AFF is doing. Also, if you have some obscure topic lit. with a bunch of big words - please, please, please explain it so I understand.

--Theory is okay with me, just explain to me why this model of debate you're bringing up should be upheld and why it matters. Frivolous theory is not going to go well and I might just not vote on it if it's nonsensical. Also, you should not be running theory just because you know it'll be an easy win and your opponents won't respond well to it -- theory should only be run if there are true abuses.

--Topicality should be very clear as to why the opponent is not relating to the topic --- I also don't want you to run T arguments that are abusive (I think definition arguments such as the abbreviation of USFG could mean United States Faceters Guild is not going to get you anywhere and doesn't show any reason for me to downvote the team)

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Speaker Points:

--For open pool: 26 (needs work, many crucial mistakes), 27-28 (quite a few mistakes but attempted frontlines/clash), 29 (good argumentation, good clash interaction, few mistakes), 30 (very clear, minimal changes I would make to the speech). Anything below a 26 means something seriously offensive/abusive happened in round. Also being condescending towards your opponents or not abiding by NSDA rules will drop your speaks by 0.5-1 pts.

--For middle school / novice pool: 27 (needs work, no clash in round), 28 (quite a few mistakes, minimal clash, but good arguments), 29 (good argumentation, a few mistakes here an there), 30 (very clear, minimal mistakes, clashed well with opponent's arguments). I will not give anything below a 27 unless something very offensive was said in the round. Being condescending towards your opponents will drop speaks by 0.5-1 pts. I am less likely to penalize with lower speaks for not abiding by NSDA rules, but I will warn you for next time.

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Other Things to Keep in Mind:

**NSDA allows paraphrasing in-round (PF), but if an opponent asks for the cut card and cites, you are obligated to give it to them! If there is no carded evidence, I will treat it as analytical. I will also drop speaks by 0.5pts.

**Please try to have your pre-flows printed out, it saves so much time and energy + you can fit more on the flow! I also highly recommend flowing on paper rather than on computer when you're competing.

*Please don't hesitate to ask me questions before or after the round (via email or IRL)! I am open to discussion of how I evaluated. I completely understand some frustration when judges don't vote in a way that you favor and am open to any discussions about any issues you have with my decision (of course, I will not change my ballot after I submit it).

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About Me:

--Competed 4 years in Public Forum on National & NE Circuit ('19-'23)

--Nebraska State Quarterfinalist ('22 & '23)

--Competed at NSDA Nationals in World Schools ('22 & '23)

--Occasionally compete in NDT Debate

--NFA Nationals Double-Octofinalist ('24)

He/him/his or judge works

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Good luck!

6 years of judging in PF and Congress

Overall Expectations:

Be respectful to your fellow competitors and judges. Debate is educational as well as competitive and the skills that you learn and develop within your event will serve you well later in life. I speak on this as a former debater.

Take pride in the work that you do. It can be very obvious when you are not as prepared. There is an element of debate that does require improvisation and being able to form arguments on the spot but the best arguments are still those that have an element of preparedness to it. Find that balance and I promise it will reflect well on your ballot.

Just like you, I am still learning how to be a good judge, so I ask for some patience, especially in events like PF and LD where I do not have nearly as much experience as I do with Congress.

Any kind of argument based on bigoted ideology will result in an instant loss of the round and I will be discussing it with you and your coach.

Congress:

Congress is probably the most unique of all of the debate events done at the NSDA level. The speed is much slower and you must be more tactical when you choose to speak. This does not make it any less debate and expect you to be paying attention to what your fellow competitors are doing in the session. I love clash and have no problem with you doing it from the beginning. Call each other out while staying as respectful as possible, we don't need this to descend into actual Congress.

Respect is paramount in Congress. While an individual event you should work together with your fellow representatives/senators to come up with strategies, set the docket, and pass legislation. This is a mock Congress and you should take into consideration the needs of the people you are supposed to be representing.

Questions are super important in debate and I consider it when making my decision. Quality is always more important than quantity. I'd rather that you be asking 1 or 2 good questions than 5 or 6 not-so-good ones.

PF:

The main element that is needed within PF is the ability to adapt. Not only to your opponent but to your judge as well. I am not a very technical judge. While keeping track of your flows your argument needs to make sense. You can't just argue that if the status quo changes it will lead to nuclear war. I need a sound argument of cause and effect. If the prompt proves to be true then it will lead to these side effects.

If your point is landing don't drag it along toward the end. Cut it out if you can't get past your opponent's refutation. The best debaters don't force through an argument but are flexible and creative enough to still get the point even when one of their points doesn't work.

During cross don't talk over one another. You are not proving a point you are just being rude. I will be paying attention during cross and will be using that to weigh into my decision. If you are talking I am listening. The first time I won't say anything but if it continues to become a problem I will say something and you don't want your team to lose a point because of it.

LD:

I am relatively new to judging LD so please bear with me.

If you have any questions please feel free to email me at sky.stefanski14@gmail.com

Jeffrey Thormodsgard

Assistant Coach of Debate at Roosevelt High School, Sioux Falls, SD

pronouns: he/him

Please add my email to the email chain: jeffrey.thormodsgard@k12.sd.us

I will do my best to judge the debate that occurred versus the debate that I wish had happened. I see too many judges making decisions based on evaluating and comparing evidence post the debate that was not done by the students. Speech > Speech Doc

I prefer providing oral RFDs unless rounds are extremely complicated or messy —those RFDs take more time. I understand the commitment you put into the activity so I try my best to put the same amount of effort into judging and making a decision. Nothing is worse than when a judge does not care about what they do and does not give you real feedback because the whole point of the activity is education and to learn. Post round oral disclosure is good. I subscribe to (most of) Lawrence Zhou's thoughts on the matter here. If you're from South Dakota, bonus points if you read that one. ;)

My only real pet peeve is wasting time during or before a debate. Please be ready to start the debate on time and don't cause unnecessary delays during it. Preflowing should be done before the debate start time. When prep time ends, you should be ready to start your speech right away. "Pulling up a doc" or something like that for 30 seconds is stealing prep and should be done before you end your prep time. Assume I'm running the clock.

Public Forum

This event should be accessible to all--meaning please keep your rate of delivery in check. I can keep up with speed, but please make sure to articulate yourself. If I can't understand the words you are saying at the pace you're saying them, then I can't flow. In addition, the speed at which you're talking shouldn't interfere with your presentation. If I don’t flow it, it doesn’t exist. If you're going too fast, I'll communicate that in round. Debate should be for everyone and not just those who can afford debate camp and those who speak English as their first language... If both teams love fast debate, and everyone agrees to it, then let's go all out speed because I enjoy fast debate too (just give me a heads up). I'd like a speech doc if you're going to go over 275+ words per minute. If I miss something in summary or final focus because you're going too fast and I drop it, it's your fault; slow down, don't go for everything, and be efficient.

Rebuttals:

If you are speaking first, I'm fine with you spending all 4 minutes on the opp case. If you are second speaker, you should defend your case in some capacity and briefly respond to args made on your case. At minimum, you must answer turns. If you speak second and don’t answer turns in rebuttal, you will almost certainly lose the round if your opponents go for those turns. This is not to say I think you need to go for everything in second rebuttal. I’m fine with you kicking arguments and thinking strategically during the round.

Summary/FF:

I like clear voting issues. Summary and final focus should crystallize the round. Don't just do line-by-line. Also, if an argument isn't extended in both summary and FF, I won't vote on it.

Crossfire:

Cross-examination matters – Plan and ask solid questions. Good cross-examinations will be rewarded.

Prep time/calling for cards:

If it looks like you are prepping, I will start the clock. I'm fine if you time your own prep, but know that I am also keeping time and my time is the official time.

I believe the activity is approaching the point where it should be the norm to send all the evidence you read over to your opponent rather than doing this inefficient one (1) card at a time nonsense. Whatever you do though, please be efficient. I blame inefficient evidence exchange on the team fetching the evidence, not on the team requesting it.

Debate is an activity about high quality research not writing a persuasive English paper. If you paraphrase (1) you shouldn't be, and (2)then you really need to have the cut cards ready at a minimum. A card is not cut if it does not have a complete and correct citation as well as the important/cited parts of the card being emphasized. Evidence should be able to be sent when asked for in a timely manner. If it is not sent quickly it may be dropped from the debate. If you're using an email chain, I don't care how many tech. issues you have, I'm keeping a running clock. Have your evidence sent over at the start to your opp, or hand over your device when evidence is called for.

Theory/Kritiks/Counterplans/Plans

Run whatever you think will win.

Public Forum time structures are not suitable for debating Kritiks with alternatives. However, debating ethics directly related to the topic and arguing it outweighs/should come first is good with me. No plan texts or counterplan texts please (note: a counterplan text is not saying 'another solution is better than the solution being presented by the resolution' -- that's just an argument, just answer it...).

If you're running K arguments, I'm expecting strong blocks -your case relies on it. If you're using a K to avoid clash, don't. If you're spreading on a K, don't make the round harder than it has to be. K's should be about education. If no one in the round understands you b/c your argument is using complicated jargon and you're spreading, you aren't achieving your goal. Make it accessible. Non-topical Ks need to have justification and should be engaged with - don't be abusive and avoid vague alts.

Very high threshold on theory. Despite being tech over truth 95% of the time, I have limited tech expectations on theory since I don't want to punish students who couldn't afford debate camp to learn the technical aspects of theory. If something truly unfair happened in the debate, then go for it by arguing 1) we should have this norm and 2) you violated that norm. To beat theory argue it 1) shouldn't be a norm or 2) you didn't violate the rule or 3) we should have a different norm instead of the one you provided. Theory should be a check on unfair debate practices, not a strategy to catch your opponent off guard.

Disclosure is good (on balance)

I feel that debaters/teams should disclose. I am NOT interested in “got you” games regarding disclosure. If a team/school is against disclosure, defend that pedagogical practice in the debate. Either follow basic tenets of community norms related to disclosure (affirmative arguments, negative positions read, etc.) after they have been read in a debate.

ADA issues: If a student needs to have materials formatted in a matter to address issues of accessibility based on documented learning differences, that request should be made promptly to allow reformatting of that material. Preferably, adults from one school should contact the adult representatives of the other schools to deal with school-sanctioned accountability.

Framework

TLDR: If your version of debate doesn't promote clash, you're going to have a tough time winning my ballot. Beyond that, it's about the learning.

Postrounding

Postround as hard as you want. I won't change my decision, but I believe it helps education for the activity for both judge and debaters.

Other stuff:

• Anything excessively past time (5+ seconds) on your speech can be dropped from the round. I won't flow it, and I won't expect your opponent to respond to it.
• I don't care how you dress, if you sit, stand, etc. Debate should be comfortable and accessible for you. Know that the tournament has an equity officer for a reason.
• Collapsing and making strategic decisions in 2nd rebuttal and 1st summary is an expectation of PF. Try to go for everything, and you will fail. There's a reason speech times decrease.
• Rudeness in cross will lose you speaker points. You can make strategic offensive rhetorical decisions to put your opponent on the defensive, but there is a difference. I try to be as wary as possible of my own implicit biases in giving low speaks for this. I've had too many of my students (especially women and POC) docked speaker points for being "too aggressive" towards or for "interrupting" their male opponents. If you feel I am unfair on this, postround me, and we can discuss.
• I will negate speaks for pretending something was in summ when it wasn't; pretending your opponents didn't respond when they did; etc. You need to meet your opponent at their best, as they should do to you.
• Speaks from me should be seen as percentages sans the first number i.e. 30.0 = 100%, 29.9 = 99%, 29.8= 98%

LD

I occasionally judge LD. My stances on all of the above carry over. You need to weigh the competing value/criterions and what should take precedent within a particular resolution. Connect your V/C to your contentions - and tell me why we should frame the resolution through your V/C instead of your opponents. You should clearly communicate the connection of your philosophy to your contentions. While I like to think I have a functioning working knowledge of many of the V/C scholars, my background is in Lacanian lit. crit. (Marx, decon., race, gender, queer theory, etc. are all in my wheelhouse), so help me out with specifically who we're talking about and what facet of their oeuvre you're using. Ignore the contentions debate and lose. Ignore the V/C debate and lose.

Hi all! My name is Blaine Traudt (he/him/judge) and I am a freshman at UNL.

Background: I debated for Lincoln Southwest in Lincoln, Nebraska (10-12). I competed in Novice Lincoln Douglas my sophomore year and Varsity Public Forum my junior and senior year. I primarily debated on the local Nebraska circuit.

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TL;DR:

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

YOU MUST TAKE PREP TIME TO READ EVIDENCE!

(!!!) IMPACT- some of the best rounds are lost because teams do not impact (weighing is equally as important, make the decision for me)

I am slightly tech over truth, but mostly indifferent.

I’m not that familiar with progressive arguments.

Trigger warning sensitive content.

Include BOTH blaineTraudt@gmail.com and lincolnSouthwestPublicForum@gmail.com to the email chain.

Be concise and nice for good speaks.

See “Preferences in terms of what's going on in the round” for more info about how the round should go.

Speed is mostly fine but if you are going too fast I will visibly stop flowing.

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IMPORTANT STUFF:

The most important thing within the debate round is the safety and inclusivity of all debaters. If you plan on running something sensitive, please have a content warning and an anonymous opt-out with a backup case/contention. Example of an anonymous opt-out: Form

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PF:

How I Evaluate a Round:

Tech —-X—--- Truth

I will try my best to evaluate what I have on the flow, but please also convince me. I will most generally vote on an argument that has the better warranting and explanation as well as weighing implication.

SIDE NOTE: I am not very familiar with progressive arguments. Running them in front of me is a bit risky as I have a high threshold for progressive arguments. You're probably better off trying to avoid having me evaluate such a round. However, I feel like I would be more sympathetic to these types of arguments if they are necessary or there has been a serious offense in round.

Procedural Stuff:

Email Chains: Teams should start an email chain or SpeechDrop as soon as they get into the round if they plan on asking for cards. Whether or not the tournament is online, an email chain makes evidence exchange faster and more efficient. No google docs sharing or locked google docs. Please add BOTH BlaineTraudt@gmail.com and lincolnSouthwestPublicForum@gmail.com to the email chain.

Speaks: If you make an active effort to run the round as fast as possible (quick evidence exchanges, joining the zoom/getting to your room before the posted start time, pre-flowing beforehand, etc.) I'll bump speaks. If you are nice and friendly toward your opponent I will also bump speaks.

Preferences in terms of what's going on in the round:

I appreciate off-time roadmaps, but they don't need to be super elaborate. (5s tops)

I allow speakers to have a 10 second grace period after time is up to finish their speeches. If you go over 10 seconds I will visibly stop flowing and listening.

Rebuttal: You probably should frontline in second rebuttal interacting with any offense read in first rebuttal.

Summary: Honestly, just do whatever and I'll evaluate it to the best that I can. Please do not extend every single argument possible; collapse on arguments you know you're winning (refined and implicated arguments > mass card dumping). Defense isn't sticky; you have to extend it in first summary and I'll flow the responses through, or I don't evaluate it in the rest of the round. Extend your warrants specifically and give me reasons to prefer over your opponents. Don't just give me author names and expect me to know what you're talking about. If you haven’t started weighing in the round do so NOW.

Final Focus: This speech should mirror the summary speech. Tell me why you're winning!

Cross: I don't flow cross, but if you really want to bring something from cross mention it in your speech.

Prep: If you call for evidence during prep you must stop the timer and both teams must stop prepping while the opposing team pulls up the card for the you to read. As soon as the card is pulled up, time starts again. If this doesn’t happen, speaks will be docked severely.

Speed: Generally I will be fine with whatever as long as I can understand you and flow, however, I can only understand up to about 200-250 WPM. I won't be flowing off of the speech doc barring tech issues. Enunciate and be clear. I'll just stop flowing if you keep going too fast and you might not be very happy.

(most of this paradigm is from Loc Nguyen and Angela Kwambamba so thank you to them)

If you have any further questions ask me before the round starts, find me around the tournament, or email me at BlaineTraudt@gmail.com and I would be happy to answer them.

I use she/her/hers pronouns.

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

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

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

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

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

-Case

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

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

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

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

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

Good luck and have fun!

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

Do:

- use all of your allotted time in each speech

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

- Use all of your prep time.

Do not:

- cut off your opponents during crossfire.

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