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Southlake Carroll TOC TFA Dragon Faire

2023 — NSDA Campus, TX/US

Lincoln Douglas Paradigm List

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Arush Adabala '22 Greenhill School

Grace Baldwin Hire

Last changed on Fri March 10, 2023 at 6:18 AM CDT

Grace Baldwin (she/her)- Paradigm

quick info: The Woodlands High School 20' and UT Austin 23', debated policy for over a year, have limited debate experience in PF, LD, and Congress and other IEs. Have judged numerous tournaments in Parli, PF, LD and CX (and IEs).

Feel free to ask questions before the round starts about anything, including UT, college, etc.

my email is gracebaldwin29@outlook.com.

PLS PLS PLS use SPEECH DROP.

Name the doc or subject line "Tournament- Round #- 1AC/1NC etc"- "Lake Travis Round 2 1AC" for example

SPEAKING POINTS

I can and do give low point wins. Clarity is key. Signpost and just give me the order- stick to it. Please organize your speeches well, most people don't. Speed is NOT always better. Spreading will not automatically get you better speaking points. If you choose to spread, SLOW DOWN during your rebuttals or I simply will not flow.

I encourage funny tags and playing music during prep to lighten the mood :)

Lose speaks if you

go over time
make me keep track of your time
speak too quietly/i can't hear you
unclear enough that I have to yell clear
make bad puns or make me cringe
arrive late and you're not cross entered
don't give me an order

Public Forum

Heads up to people debating the great power conflict topic: I am an international relations major and senior at UT, and I have studied great power conflict. My research focus is on US-China relations and Chinese domestic security. As such, for this topic, do not BS your argument, I will not buy it . If you don't understand great power conflict, unipolarity and multipolarity, learn it and learn to debate it.

I have limited experience debating PF, but I have judged several tournaments in it. I'm a lot more generous in PF. Be clear.

CROSSFIRE Engage in active crossfire, don't bullzone a crossfire. Don't make it a CX either. Don't give speeches in crossfire either. Use it to clarify arguments. I consider crossfire in my decision if it is well or badly used. Don't go into tangents in crossfire and bring up arguments if they won't appear in the speeches at all. Give me a good grand crossfire. I do not like lopsided teams/one person carrying the team, so please ensure both members are engaging in the debate. I also admire mavericks.

ROLE OF THE JUDGE AND PERSPECTIVE: I generally view PF as mostly educational-- LD and CX are more of games to me-- so I sometimes default to truth. I'm not convinced I can vote on an issue if it is egregiously untrue, however if the opposition concedes, I reluctantly will vote but leave many comments in my RFD.

I haven't been in enough rounds in PF where debaters claim fiat, so I have no strong enough opinions- if you believe PF has fiat, tell me why. I default to role of the judge being to pick the best debater - like CX, I often think about who is winning the central issues- not who wins the most- or pushes a winning framework.

FORMAT/HOW I EVALUATE A ROUND: PF is a short format, exceptionally shorter than policy which I have experience in. As such, be mindful so introduce less arguments and contextualize the debate for me. PF doesn't have burdens, solvency, anything like that, however, I would like you to impact weigh for me.

If you decide to be fancy, especially if you are in VPF, and throw in a CP, DA, or anything like that, make sure it works !! I personally find PF to be too short of a format to manage and have full DAs in. If the link chain in your DA is bs, I will not buy it. Don't make a dumb midterms DA shell and expect me to vote on it. PFers- LD and CX people know midterms and politics DAs are bad- learn from them.

Please don't use theory, Ks, T, or anything else unless you're in varsity, thanks. I am a relatively blank slate when it comes to impact weighing in PF, so do not assume I will weigh util against structural violence or anything like that unless you articulate it. Everyone always under-focuses on impact weighing. If you have the same impacts, like climate change and extinction, weigh probability or magnitude- I can't do anything if you just repeat your impacts. Don't just say "extinction bad" or "our impact is bigger than theirs"- I am a person always interested in the WHY- basically WHY should I evaluate extinction in this round over structural violence.

WINNING THE DEBATE AND SPEAKING: Don't spread in PF unless you are in the upper echelons of varsity. emphasize tags please. Both speakers take into account your summary and final focuses. I pay most attention and consider both speeches heavily as I think the summaries are the most important in the round. You do NOT need to address everything they dump on you, but I need summaries to address two or three major voting issues. I prefer you address major voting issues over spending 10-20 seconds on every single argument. You will not win on just a card but the argument.

CX and LD

Pref order: Traditional, K, K aff and most theory, phil

Disclosure- I will NOT be disclosing for TFA state

SPREADING- I'm not a huge fan of spreading despite doing a lot of it in high school. It often makes debate difficult and not that much engaging. HOWEVER, do it if it is most comfortable to you, I will listen and flow, but you must send docs obv if you spread. Do NOT spread if your opponent is not spreading. Figure it out in advance. I will yell clear if I cannot understand you. Emphasize and slow down on tags please, thank you.

FRAMEWORK-I am a framework judge, I like it a lot. Like PF, but even more so in CX and LD, I am evaluating who is winning the framework. I don't see debate as merely who is winning singularly on contentions/advantages nor do I like to vote on a single CP or DA. I need a lens in how to view the round and particularly in LD, what I ought to value. I feel like there is too much judge intervention if I have to rely on just advantages or a CP to vote on as that ultimately comes down to a personal judgement on which I think is working more in the round, rather than the debater who has successfully framed it. Terminal impacts are important and I think sometimes the link chain doesn't get properly extended so remember that.

I mostly end up judging to what is left on the flow and what I can evaluate. I won't necessarily judge off this one minor point that goes conceded if the other team is winning the critical analysis. A properly extended and explained adv and impact goes a very very long way for me. Conceded arguments are not the end all be all if the warranting and impact isn't extended. Don't say, extend my first contention whose impact is extinction, and expect me to vote off of that. Clash well with the framework, give and extend a solid reasoning why yours is better. Often util vs SV frameworks are just "my framework is better bc mine takes into account more people" like okkkkk...

THEORY- Okay, so I've come to the conclusion that I don't like theory debates. I have been in numerous theory debates and I find them all dreadfully boring. Fundamentally, I think the vast majority of theory debates require too much judge intervention in determining the winner on my end, as there's significantly less critical analysis I'm able to look at and evaluate and more often than not I just defer to case. For example: debates I've been in where people run spreading or specific vs generic resolution affs or disclosure theory. Most often the theory is super generic and I default that you have to prove ill intent - or else why are we wasting a debate discussing theory and not issues? I can vote on theory, I just very much do not want to. Also, if you decide to read theory, especially those long bolded shells- you know what I'm talking about that have 8 points- SLOW DOWN or else YOU HURT MY BRAIN AND I WON'T VOTE FOR YOU. I default to education most often in theory particularly at a place like TFA state.

CPs and DAs-analytical DAs are always better, politics and midterms DAs are almost always bad, generic CPs make me cry and make sure you articulate a good perm thanks.

PICS- pics are fine lol

ROLE OF THE JUDGE-Considering I wax in and out of PF and LD as a judge, more often than not I defer to truth, particularly if it is a policy resolution, unless I am told otherwise. However, if the opposition doesn't say much or push back substantially, then I am more than willing to vote on something stupid. I don't see the judge to be an arbiter of truth but more so a decipher of who is telling a better story or framing their arguments more effectively. I will only buy bs if you bs well enough essentially.

Ks- I ran into many Ks and am familiar with some literature. I ran a K or two during my time in high school. However, don't veer too much off topic. If we're having a discussion on US-China trade, don't plunge into a hole on afro-pessimism performance. I like performance myself and ran into many cap Ks. If you are going to use one, make it a good one. If you run a K Aff, give me a good reason why you're doing it. I'm not a solid traditionalist when it comes to debate but I much prefer an interesting debate about policy and morality. Generic links are meh and while you can win, case specifics are better. I am familiar to a degree with abolition, pess, cap, foucault, setter colonialism, fem, epistemology, ableism, etc. However, considering I mostly judge PF and LD, I would generally strike me if you are running a K that I didn't list, or you should definitely spend more time explaining it thanks. Like framework, I need a good warranting for the alt.

Value, Criterion- establish them early and debate them. I'll accept Affs if neg doesn't have anything substantial.

T- I don't weigh T heavily unless it dominates the debate and I personally find T more often than not distracting as there is rarely ever good clash to come out of it.

Tricks- not a fan, don't do it (or if that's your thing strike me pllsssss)

CX- I like a good CX, and I pay attention. A poorly used CX can reflect badly on whoever is asking. Don't use it for repetition unless for clarification. Don't ask irrelevant questions either. I think CX is pretty binding.

Organization- stick to your roadmap. While I'm ADHD and understand the tendency to move around a lot, it's annoying on the flow when you move around. Use prep time to organize your thoughts. Most people don't organize their speeches well, pls organize yours well thanks.

Debate performance itself is somewhat important to me, but your arguments matter more. I personally really like framework debates and good impact weighing. I very much judge on how the debate ends rather than how it begins.

Make my RFD easy.

SPEECH AND IES

Give me a good and clear roadmap. For novices, if you need a moment to think, better to pause and regroup rather than spitting out something. Calm, cool, and collected.

I like jokes but in good taste.

Organize your thoughts. Give clear evidence.

I know what the "Speakers Triangle" is. Do it, but if you don't do it, I probably will not notice.

Keep the tone conversational or formal.

Keep a steady pace. Go in depth. You don't have to teach me something but you do have to engage me. The best speakers can make the dullest topic engaging.

Use relevant evidence. Evidence for evidence's sake I notice.

Other:

Just because you know all the debate lingo doesn't make you a great debater. I was out of debate and came back in long enough to find that just dumping debate language on top of me IS NOT an argument. Be clear. Thanks.

I have mild ADHD, so if you see me messing with my hair, tapping my foot, or flicking my pen, don't worry, I am listening.

I am an international relations student and well versed in geopolitics, US and Texas politics, and current events. Assume I have a baseline or great amount of knowledge about your topic unless it is completely niche.

flex prep is fine, open CX/cross is fine. keep your own prep and speech times, thank you. I don't care where you sit so long as I can hear you.

Give a trigger warning if you need to. I am warning any speakers and debaters to strike me preemptively if your case/speech/performance includes an abundance of discussion or trivalization of r*pe or SA.

If one might construe what you are saying as racist, misogynistic, ableist, etc. , I do not condone that and will mark you down for it.

In regards to abuse and fairness- I only take it into consideration if you break my paradigm or bring it up during a round.

Aisha Bawany Hire

Last changed on Sat February 11, 2023 at 6:16 AM CDT

I did NDT/CEDA policy debate at UT Dallas and LD debate in high school.

Add me to the email chain: aishabawany98@gmail.com

If I am in your round, I will do my best to listen closely to every speech, argument, cx question/answer etc. made in round. I remember how horrible it felt when my judges didn’t listen or care despite hours of prep and hard work—I aim to not be like them. That means that while your speech and arguments matter, so does your clarity.

I am fine with speed.

Argument Evaluation

I believe debate is about the contextualization of evidence and your speech act of persuasion. I think the quality and explanation of arguments matters more than the amount of arguments. When you are extending/explaining your arguments, make sure to name/warrant the argument, not the author. It is not enough for you to just spread through a card and expect me to vote off of a tiny sentence in your card. You have to explain the warrant and how things function in relation to each other.

I do not like to do work in debates for debaters. II aim to be an empty shell that is filled with both teams' arguments and then to adjudicate without any bias-- a true clean slate. That means I'll vote on pretty much anything as long as it is explained to me well. The truth of different critical theories don't matter to me. If you're winning it, then I'll vote off of it.

Framework/K v K debates/Framework v. K debates/Topicality

I did run a lot of framework/T so I do enjoy watching that debate. Up to you though on what you want to run and how you want to do it. I'll evaluate it with the best of my ability. I'm predisposed to topical aff positions in policy because I have mostly debated with topical policy cases. That is not to say that I won't vote on them, just that I am not the best judge to evaluate K v. K debates. I never think you should run arguments you are unfamiliar with, so don't stop running those arguments, just make it easier for me to understand the method by which I should evaluate/weigh the round. Framework is always a voting issue and a criticism of the affs method to play the game of debate. I default competing interps. You need to win that your definition/interpretation/model in a t/framework debate is better for debate unless you give me reasons for why I should default to reasonability. Personally, don't think lots of fairness claims on framework are super persuasive.

Theory

I’m less likely to be convinced to vote off theory debates since there’s never substantial argumentation on that flow that’s ever created. I mean, read your condo bad, perf con bad, multi actor fiat bad stuff as time sucks or go for it if it’s truly abusive, but I’m not about to sit up and be like “wow! A theory debate! I’m so excited!” I would prefer to vote for you off of something other than theory arguments. (I believe you can do much better).

Kritiks

Ks need to have a link, impact, and alt (though you may convince me you don't need to have an alt). If you’re going to go for the K, explain the link, why they can’t perm (if they try to), why the aff can't solve/is bad (ex. policy failure, vtl) and other aspects of the K. K's in my mind are similar to disads, but just function on a different level with a more critical lens. To weigh the aff against the kritik/vice versa, you also should have some sort of framework method top level.

Please do not assume I understand what your argument is or what literature you are reading in your K is about. I am not a coach, studying philosophy, or on the cutting edge of K debate. I have a job and do other things in my spare time.

CPs/DAs

Counterplans are cool. They are important to test whether the aff is a good idea. For CPs, they should have a cp text and some sort of net benefit. In order for me to vote on any disad, I think you need to win a link (not a risk of a link, I mean a LINK). I don’t care if it’s generic (though I would prefer it not be), it just has to be a link, okay? I hope you have/know the parts of a DA, because if you don't have them all, idt I can vote on it.

In my opinion, off cases are conditional, so there's a low probability of me voting off of condo unless you've been buried with off cases.

LD Frameworks/Value-Criterion stuff

It seems in LD that you need some sort of framework/way for me to evaluate the round. For framing, you need to have a value/criterion/ROB/ROJ that says that I should evaluate arguments by x. Plans are cool too. I ran different philosophical frameworks when I did LD and enjoy listening to unique ones and the way you justify your position through it. I don't care for disclosure debates in LD. I think disclosure is good in policy, but I honestly couldn't care less either way in LD. If you really feel that you were disadvantaged by not knowing what the aff was before round/previous 2NRs, then feel free to go ahead, but I won't be happy judging that kind of debate. I find those sorts of arguments boring.

General:

- Debate is a game.

- Tech over truth

- Presumption flows neg

- Let's all be nice to each other

- Simplify, simplify, simplify

Pia Benadikar Plano East Sr. High

Sara Bou-Hamdan Hire

Cristina Capriglione Hire

Joseph-Charles D'Antuono Hire

Last changed on Thu January 4, 2024 at 11:32 AM CDT

Email: josephcharlesdan@gmail.com

You can call me Joseph (he/him) in rounds.

I was a CX debater in high school for 4 years and now debate for UTD.

My preference is the k, but I ran a lot of policy. The only arguments you shouldn't run in front of me are tricks and preferably not phil (I never ran it or debated against it, so there's a good chance I can't evaluate a phil round the way you would want me to). Debate however you want; I try not to interject my own biases into the round. This also means I'm tech over truth and will vote for arguments that I personally don't agree with. Cross is binding and I'll be paying attention. If you make the round easy for me to judge through judge instruction, you will be more likely to win and there's a much lower chance of judge intervention.

FW is fine; I don't have any specific feelings towards it. I think teams need to do more impact framing/comparison, especially if you are going for a procedural impact. I think the we meet is a yes/no question, while the TVA and SSD are more flexible. I enjoy KvK rounds as long as there is an actual link. Contextual link analysis and argument comparison are important and the easiest ways to get ahead in a round. Policy teams also let the neg get away with way too much on the alt. The perm is generally a persuasive argument against non-ontology Ks, so I do expect neg teams to have a robust answer to it.

Dropped arguments are not necessarily true, but I do give them some credence. Not that it will change the way I evaluate rounds, but I generally think debaters are better off going for arguments that are better and they are more familiar with than chasing ink unless an argument was mishandled. Spread however fast you want as long as it's not unclear.

Critical literature I read in debate:

Afropess (Wilderson, Warren, Gillespie, Barber, etc.)
Baudrillard
Berardi
University
Cap
Fanon
Security

But I'm down with anything.

Email me if you have any questions!

Nicholas Daily Hire

Last changed on Wed March 20, 2024 at 6:47 PM CDT

University of Houston B.A., Northwestern Pritzker School of Law J.D.

I defer wholly to the Tabula Rasa paradigm. I have no qualms about voting on any form of argument (including T's, theory, K's, or even inherency), so long as...
1-You win the argument and,
2-You give me a proper contextualization of how winning this argument wins you the round.
E.g., "Inherency is a voter b/c of stock issues" won't get you my ballot.
On a personal note, I think that many of the major issues with debate is that many teams try to conform to well-worn blocks and articulations of different voters, particularly with stock issues or T/theory. I'd much prefer an interesting voter or standard than a very discursive and unexplained "education or fairness claim." Be creative with your standards and answers.

I don't evaluate whether or not an action made by aff or neg is abusive or not unless the other team brings it up. I don't believe it's my job as a judge to pre-decide what should or should not occur in a debate, I see each debate as an independent construction unto itself. Therefore, if you make an abuse claim, structure it and impact it. The only exception is if the 2AR reads new arguments, (because the neg can't stand up and call aff out). If this happens, I won't evaluate any of the new arguments, I will dock speaks, but it won't be an automatic loss on it's own. If this team wins on the substance of the non-new arguments then they win the debate round.

Don't extend arguments as a singular entity ("extend the D/A"). On Adv's I expect analysis on the impact claim even if it is unaddressed.

Specific Arguments:
First, I've always been more comfortable evaluating straight policy arguments because a good half of my debate experience excluded kritiks. This said, I am familiar with the most common K's (cap, neo-lib, security, colonialism, nietzsche, biopower, gendered/discourse, ableism etc.). The more obscure the K, the more work that you should do explaining it because I am certainly not as familiar as you will be with the literature. (Give me a good overview in the 2NC).

Second, I was a T/theory hack in high school so I will pull the trigger on T/theory. My expectations are listed below,
1-If you go for fairness you either have to have an AMAZING potential abuse shell, or a good source of in-round abuse. A major issue for teams going for T is that they don't set up the abuse story in the 1NC. If you're going for ASPEC, read politics/agent solvency takeouts. T and theory are arguments that should be part of the strategic whole of the negative argumentation, not another floating source of offense.
2-Slow down on T-standards, full speed on T and I'll miss a few.
3-If you go for T I want it to be 1 off in the 2NR, same goes for theory. You should only reference your other arguments in order to generate abuse stories for a fairness voter or to contextualize the lost education. Going for T and another argument undercuts the legitimacy of your T argument and usually results in under-coverage of standards/voters. Irregardless, I will evaluate all arguments you extend (if you do T + other voters in the 2NR), I don't believe it's a good strategic decision though.

I always evaluate the round in terms of offense/defense (unless a conceded framing issue says otherwise), so extending impacts into the final rebuttals is crucial to winning my ballot. If you're going fully on a stock issue, please frame this within this paradigm.

On a final note, I have never judged a performance debate or even seen one. Again, this does not make me unwilling to vote on it, but explaining it in terms of voters may be an uphill battle. So if you are going to perform, please contextualize it.

Speaks, usually between 26.5-30.

25 if you're offensive.

If anything here is unclear, please ask me about it before the round. I don't want there to be any ambiguity in my paradigm and if you don't understand some part of this paradigm, I'll do a rewrite here on the wiki as well.

Doron Darnov Hire

Asher Fanous All Saints Episcopal School

Laura Garza Clear Springs High School

Christi Grudier Hire

Last changed on Sat January 21, 2023 at 7:46 AM CDT

I've judged at the invitational, district, and regional levels since 2007 in the Southeast Texas region and for the Dallas-Fort Worth circuits. I prefer LD, PF, and Congress, but don't mind judging novice CX.

I consider myself a relatively laid-back judge that is adaptable to style based on region/competition. I can buy most arguments, no matter how crazy!

Speed/Spreading- I believe that speech and debate competitions are designed to develop your communication, critical thinking, and argumentation skills; therefore, I don't believe speeding and spreading are appropriate. Your goal is to deliver clear and concise arguments with good documentation and well-thought-out points. If you do this, there is no need to speed.

How do you know if you are speeding? If you are gasping for air, you are going too fast! If I can't take notes, you are going too fast. I usually do not partake in email chains, so it is your job to make sure I am able to flow based on your speech.

Timing- You are more than welcome to time yourself. I actually prefer it.

Sit vs Stand- You are welcome to do whatever is comfortable for you based on the classroom setup.

Prep Time- Use it! That's what it is there for.

CX- Ask clarifying questions that could help set up your arguments. Don't debate during CX.

Email Chains- Please exchange information and get this process done quickly and efficiently. I have been in rounds where we spent 10+ minutes exchanging emails. Have a paper copy of your case and evidence in case technology fails or takes too long. I do not join email chains. I like to judge the round based on what is said rather than reading it.

For LD, I prefer a more traditional, value-based debate, but I am open to a more progressive debate if that is the approach you want to take.

Evidence- I like to see that your case is well-documented from timely sources. However, please don't spend your debate arguing that your evidence is "more recent" or "more legitimate". State why you think this is the case and move on. Try not to make it the main argument of the round.

Thanks!

Dr. Christi Grudier

Nitin Gurumukhi Plano East Sr. High

Allie Gutierrez Hire

Last changed on Wed September 6, 2023 at 10:14 AM CDT

Feel free to call me Allie. She/they. Former policy debater, judge/coach of 3 years running.

Current conflict is Jones (Chicago)

Email chain please: allie.gutierrez@live.com - If you have any questions before/after the round, shoot me an email! Especially when the RFD is on a time crunch, I'm happy to give more feedback.

TLDR:

No one is pure tab, but I'm as close as I can be. I'm good with Policy v Policy, Policy v K, and K v K. I lean pretty tech > truth. We're all here to learn, so be good people and have a good time!

If it’s LD or PF, you can probably get most of what you need from my CX paradigm, but particulars are at the bottom.

Some things I find affecting my general philosophy:

I've seen more judges refusing to vote for racism good, etc., and I'm all for it. If your arguments are offensive (racism good, sexism good, etc.) or make the space unsafe, I won't feel bad handing out an L25. What I haven't decided is how to handle cap good, climate change not real, etc. These arguments aren't explicitly offensive, but invalidate very real issues/experiences. As tech as I am, I'm skeptical of the rising popularity of arguments that embrace harmful pedagogy. For now, just know my tech > truth default wavers a little here.

Framework:

I'm not dogmatic about impacts, just prove why your model is best for the round and the world of debate. Bad for "Ks bad for debate", good for solid aff framework vs. neg Ks.

If you have an ROB/ROJ, please substantiate it. I've judged a lot of rounds where a pretty complex and/or self-serving ROB is read, but not A) what it means in the context of the round and B) why it's net beneficial for the debate.

For K affs, I tend to be happier if you debate the aff as is. Meta pre-reqs are a thing, but this too often feels like a way to avoid developing creative/strategic arguments. There are definitely exceptions - I'm sympathetic to the neg when aff literature doesn't mention something at least tangential to the topic. Regardless, don't feel the need to over-adapt to my preference.

I'll vote neg when: the aff has a poor counter-interp, the neg turns aff impacts, the topical version accesses aff impacts, or neg offense outweighs the limits DA.

I'll vote aff when: the 2NR fails to collapse the impact debate, the neg doesn't either turn or access aff impacts, or the aff successfully doubles down on an exclusion argument that turns neg impacts.

Topicality:

Evidence comparison!! If you have a quality definition that's contextual to the topic and fail to call out some nonsense def from Words and Phrases, I will be so sad. But, I don't want to read the size 2 text that makes 5 highlighted words a good definition. Either highlight more or weigh the ev for me.

I'm slightly reasonability-biased, at least for plan-less affs and stock cases. Good debating overcomes this. Please don't waste time running arbitrary, 5-second T shells. "Untruthful" T > 4 shells you kick coming out of the block.

I don't think TVAs are 100% necessary to win T (particularly against policy cases), but they can be useful.

Theory:

I think theory is super underused in high school! Explain why your interp is the best model and sets a necessary precedent, making theory a pre-req to the sub debate. While I don't often see rounds where things like condo and PICs are a genuine issue, I happily vote on them when executed well. Some slight biases:

Disclosure is good. Update your wiki's. No, don't run disclosure against novices or small-school debaters.

Condo is probably good within reason, but dispo is subjective and weird.

"Cheating" CPs are usually fine, but the legitimacy of delay, consult, etc. is iffy.

Perf con can sometimes be bad.

All of this can be overcome with good debating. Same as T, please don't run it for no reason.

DA's:

Case-specific is preferable, but generics are fun when contextualized in specific terms of the aff (yay for knowing your way around political/economic theory). Evidence, story-telling, and impact calc are all of equal importance. Zero risk is possible, but difficult to prove. Minimal risk makes the DA pretty negligible sans a strong framing debate. Some teams focus heavily on the link/impact and disregard uq and internal link chains, but defense here can make a big difference.

"Politics DAs are just bad for debate" isn't an argument. You can explain this and impact it out, but I don't accept the statement alone as a sufficient response. Root-causing and/or outweighing the DA is your best bet.

"DA outweighs turns case" works miracles. Say it more often.

CP's:

Specific and generic CP's both have their place. To quote Allie Chase, “I don’t subscribe to groupthink about which CPs ‘definitely solve' which affs.” So yes, re-highlight that aff evidence, give empirics, etc. but don't expect me to grant you a net benefit that isn't fully impacted out or is barely cross-applied down the flow.

Judge kicks are iffy because most of the time, the 2NR just throws out "and even if you don't buy the CP we have judge kick" in the last 5 seconds of the speech after doing virtually no work to weigh the aff against the squo. I'm not going to weigh multiple worlds for you, so this debate should start in the block.

K's:

I have a B.A. in philosophy and am working on my M.A., so I've read a ton. Feel free to ask how familiar I am with a certain lit base. Post-modernism and high theory are fine, but explain your jargon, contextualize your links, all that good stuff. If you can't do this, I'll assume you don't know your own K. More specific links as opposed to a broad K of the topic are usually best (strong analytic links are impressive). Links of omission are not links.

Strong LBL is much more persuasive than trying to pack embedded clash into a 5 minute overview.

I'm not particularly bothered by intense content. My hot-ish take is that death good has its place.

K affs are dope but should probably be in the direction of the res. At least be able to clearly state why it was brought into the debate space and what I'm doing by voting for you. Performance is fine, but framing and explanation your connection to the res are especially important here. I'm willing to vote on a PIK or attacks on the poetics/music you use, and I'm definitely not above presumption.

Please have some kind of advocacy. Kicking the alt in the 2NR is one thing, but I need to see what differentiates the world of the K from that of the aff/squo - even if it's not real world (I'm cool with utopian alts unless told otherwise). If you just say that the reading of the 1NC is an alt, what am I supposed to do with this without a clear explanation of your project? *cough cough, psychoanalysis*

Speaks:

I really try to give high speaks. Organization is needed, but go as fast as you want if you can be clear (extra important for online debates). I'm a fast flow, so if I've clear-called you multiple times, you're outspreading your own limits. I'm BEGGING you to signpost. I use the docs to read evidence, not flow. So say "and", number your warrants, literally anything.

I have a low threshold for rude debaters. If you hit a less experienced debater and use this as a power flex, your speaks will reflect my disapproval.

Misc:

I read the highlighted portions of ev during prep. I'll only read full text if you tell me to or it's a clear point of focus. Sub & case debate >>> 10 off. You don't have to send analytics, but it's helpful to number or otherwise emphasize when you're listing warrants and stuff. You don't have to send me a card doc - I'll probably ignore it. Tag team is totally fine, but if one partner is doing everything, that's not a good look. Flashing isn't prep within reason, i.e. don't stop prep if you're still copy-pasting, but having trouble with speechdrop doesn't count against you. Mark your own cards and keep your own times (I can definitely time, but you have to ask).

LD:

Prog LD is most familiar to me. I very much see value in traditional, I'm just less experienced. Phil is my second-best. I've read more Kant and util than I'd like to admit. That said, I still default very tab. I've voted on skep, disads, Ks, and good old fashioned framework, so really - do whatever you want.

My framework threshold is particularly high in LD. Interacting with the framework and/or creating value/VC clash is what makes LD unique. Coming down to T in LD is kind of strange, so at least make sure it's done well.

For the love of all that is good, don't make me vote on an RVI. Please. I'm begging you.

"Trix" are fine? I guess? I'm not gonna tell you not to, but I won't say I'd be excited to see it, either.

PF:

I view PF as a debate that is and has always been concerned what change is best, and this is how I'd like the round to be framed. As much as I'm a CXer at heart, I don't think plans have a place here. I often find them to blow the round out of proportion. That said, there are still plenty of other ways to create clash, so please do so.

I think K's and theory are very difficult to run correctly in PF. If you can do it, go off. But, mind that I'm a CX coach - my threshold is high.

I flow citations and paraphrased evidence the same way I flow warrants. If you want me to flow something as evidence, it should be structured something like a card.

I said not to blow the round out of proportion. What IS in proportion is painting a picture of both your world and the opponent's. The best PF rounds I've seen go beyond each individual card/contention to illustrate how the pro/con case would affect society, what they're valuing in society, and whether or not this is something they can and should achieve.

Lei Huang Carnegie Vanguard High School

Sanju John Dulles High School

Pranav Kaginele Hire

neel kanamangala Hire

Last changed on Sun February 18, 2024 at 9:02 AM CDT

Please use content warnings for content related to SA or self-harm.

Hi! I'm Neel (they/them). I debated at Plano East (TX), starting out in circuit PF and debating circuit LD during my senior year. I now attend Michigan (I don't debate for the school) and would say that I'm somewhat removed from debate.

Yes, put me on the chain - gimmeurcards@gmail.com

Be mindful of how rusty I may be - go slower, explain topic jargon, and all that jazz - it'll be tremendously helpful for how confident I am in my decision and your speaks.

Tech > truth, but a combination is ideal. Don't be rude, because I can also decide that not being mean > tech.

I primarily find/found myself in debates that center around policy or kritikal positions both as a debater and a judge. I'm not very confident in my ability to adjudicate very fast and blippy theory/T, phil, or tricks debates. I'd say I'm a 1 for policy, a 1/2 for the kritik (aff or neg), a 3 for theory/T, and a 4/strike for phil or tricks.

For policy -

Impact turns are fine, but I refuse to listen to death good.

Evidence quality is your best friend in front of me.

I'm probably more open to letting CP theory debates unfold than other judges.

Read more than 1 argument on case please.

For the kritik -

I have a soft spot for cool K-affs, but I'm neutral on framework and all of the iterations you can go for.

Your overviews should have a purpose - apply stuff you say to the LBL and contextualize the things you are saying.

I've been in more debates about identity and the "stock" kritiks than pomo stuff - do with that what you will.

Cool case args are my jam (even presumption is cool).

For T/theory -

CIs, no RVIs, DTA for theory. DTD for T.

Huge fan of disclosure but I feel uncomfortable evaluating other violations sourced outside of round.

I'm very mid for frivolous shells.

Be organized and clear please.

For tricks and phil -

Not a great idea - I probably would barely be able to follow along a Philosophy 101 course.

If you want to read these, SLOW DOWN and number stuff.

Evil demons don't force me to vote aff and I only evaluate debates after the 2AR.

I honestly am just uninterested in 95% of this literature base - sorry.

For PF -

Good for all the progressive stuff and PF speed. I will hold you to a higher standard than most progressive PF judges.

Sticky defense is silly. Extend your arguments.

Turns case arguments are the truth. Probability weighing is fake.

Underutilized arguments and strategies are fun - if you can win the presumption debate or the impact turn, go for it.

Gabrielle Lea All Saints Episcopal School

Jack Loeb Rock Hill HS

Last changed on Thu February 22, 2024 at 8:13 AM CDT

LD: I look at the debate from a traditional lense. Value/Criterion -> link to your Contentions. I'm expecting clash throughout. You may read fast (but not too fast) you should enunciate. Voting blocks at the end help summarize the debate and that's my preference to hear in the final ARs. Unlikely to weigh counter-plans. LD is a value style of debate. Resolution is absolute unless specified. I'm very tabula rasa with 99% of arguments. However, if it's something completely off the wall I'm not going to weigh it. However, it's your opponent's job to still attack that specific argument (if it has some miniscule form of credence). You don't need to spend much time dismissing it in your rebuttals if it's non-sensical. No K's, Theories, Piks, other random things.

I want to see a Value and a Criterion. Both, that's TWO. What do you value, how do you get there (criterion).

CX: Most important part of CX for me: Would I rather live in Neg world or Aff world. But I will evaluate K's Kritiques, Theory. However, a large percentage of the round will come down to that. If you want to go off-case then do so. There will be no on-case ROB. You will need to thoroughly explain your off-case arguments. Don't assume I'm familiar with the literature. I would like to hear an overview attached to it. Doesn't need to be written but certainly needs to be explained. You will need to pass all mechanisms needed to earn my ballot.

PFD: Traditional lense. Clash is expected. Summarize key voting issues. The debate should center around the topic. Whoever can display their case is stronger than their opponents (makes more sense logically, with impacts) wins the debate.

Congress: Presentation is big for me. Think Extemp but with actual arguments and clash

Another thing; Let's say your opponent failed to attack your case in any of those speaking blocks where they must do so. In your next speech just go ahead and say that and save us all all this time so we can move on with our lives. No need to continue droning onward if your opponent just literally dropped the entire round unbeknownst to themselves. I wouldn't put this here if it didn't happen before.

Outside of the above you should be using all your time. I'm sure there's something either A.) You missed or B.) You can add some analytical analysis of something throughout the round.

Use speechdrop.net (Make everyone's lives easier)

At the end of every debate round there should be voters and weighing. Do that.

Also, let's not make it awkward after the round. If you want an RFD then just ask.

One more thing. Do Not say "Latinx." En lieu use the gender neutral term "Latino." ¿Entiendes?

parth misra Greenhill School

Cody Morrow Hire

Last changed on Wed February 21, 2024 at 2:09 PM CDT

________________________________________________________________________

Paradigm from 2017 through February 2024.

Yes, I want to be on the email chain, please put both emails on the chain.

codymorrowtx1@gmail.com

smdebatedocs@gmail.com

Speaker Points

I attempted to resist the point inflation that seems to happen everywhere these days, but I decided that was not fair to the teams/debaters that performed impressively in front of me.

27.7 to 28.2 - Average

28.3 to 28.6 - Good job

28.7 to 29.2 - Well above average

29.3 to 29.7 - Great job/ impressive job

29.8 to 29.9 - Outstanding performance, better than I have seen in a long time. Zero mistakes and you excelled in every facet of the debate.

30 - I have not given a 30 in years and years, true perfection.

I am willing to listen to most arguments. There are very few debates where one team wins all of the arguments so each of you must identify what you are winning and make the necessary comparisons between your arguments and the other team's arguments/positions. Speed is not a problem although clarity is essential. If I think that you are unclear I will say clearer and if you don't clear up I will assign speaker points accordingly. Try to be nice to each other and enjoy yourself. Good cross-examinations are enjoyable and typically illuminates particular arguments that are relevant throughout the debate. Please, don't steal prep time. I do not consider e-mailing evidence as part of your prep time nonetheless use e-mailing time efficiently.

I enjoy substantive debates as well as debates of a critical tint. If you run a critical affirmative you should still be able to demonstrate that you are Topical/predictable. I hold Topicality debates to a high standard so please be aware that you need to isolate well-developed reasons as to why you should win the debate (ground, education, predictability, fairness, etc.). If you are engaged in a substantive debate, then well-developed impact comparisons are essential (things like magnitude, time frame, probability, etc.). Also, identifying solvency deficits on counter-plans is typically very important.

Theory debates need to be well developed including numerous reasons a particular argument/position is illegitimate. I have judged many debates where the 2NR or 2AR are filled with new reasons an argument is illegitimate. I will do my best to protect teams from new arguments, however, you can further insulate yourself from this risk by identifying the arguments extended/dropped in the 1AR or Negative Bloc.

GOOD LUCK! HAVE FUN!

LD June 13, 2022

A few clarifications... As long as you are clear you can debate at any pace you choose. Any style is fine, although if you are both advancing different approaches then it is incumbent upon each of you to compare and contrast the two approaches and demonstrate why I should prioritize/default to your approach. If you only read cards without some explanation and application, do not expect me to read your evidence and apply the arguments in the evidence for you. Be nice to each other. I pay attention during cx. I will not say clearer so that I don't influence or bother the other judge. If you are unclear, you can look at me and you will be able to see that there is an issue. I might not have my pen in my hand or look annoyed. I keep a comprehensive flow and my flow will play a key role in my decision. With that being said, being the fastest in the round in no way means that you will win my ballot. Concise well explained arguments will surely impact the way I resolve who wins, an argument advanced in one place on the flow can surely apply to other arguments, however the debater should at least reference where those arguments are relevant. CONGRATULATIONS & GOOD LUCK!!!

LD Paradigm from May 1, 2022
I will update this more by May 22, 2022

I am not going to dictate the way in which you debate. I hope this will serve as a guide for the type of arguments and presentation related issues that I tend to hear and vote on. I competed in LD in the early 1990's and was somewhat successful. From 1995 until present I have primarily coached policy debate and judged CX rounds, but please don't assume that I prefer policy based arguments or prefer/accept CX presentation styles. I expect to hear clearly every single word you say during speeches. This does not mean that you have to go slow but it does mean incomprehensibility is unacceptable. If you are unclear I will reduce your speaker points accordingly. Going faster is fine, but remember this is LD Debate.

Despite coaching and judging policy debate the majority of time every year I still judge 50+ LD rounds and 30+ extemp. rounds. I have judged 35+ LD rounds on the 2022 spring UIL LD Topic so I am very familiar with the arguments and positions related to the topic.

I am very comfortable judging and evaluating value/criteria focused debates. I have also judged many LD rounds that are more focused on evidence and impacts in the round including arguments such as DA's/CP's/K's. I am not here to dictate how you choose to debate, but it is very important that each of you compare and contrast the arguments you are advancing and the related arguments that your opponent is advancing. It is important that each of you respond to your opponents arguments as well as extend your own positions. If someone drops an argument it does not mean you have won debate. If an argument is dropped then you still need to extend the conceded argument and elucidate why that argument/position means you should win the round. In most debates both sides will be ahead on different arguments and it is your responsibility to explain why the arguments you are ahead on come first/turns/disproves/outweighs the argument(s) your opponent is ahead on or extending. Please be nice to each other. Flowing is very important so that you ensure you understand your opponents arguments and organizationally see where and in what order arguments occur or are presented. Flowing will ensure that you don't drop arguments or forget where you have made your own arguments. I do for the most part evaluate arguments from the perspective that tech comes before truth (dropped arguments are true arguments), however in LD that is not always true. It is possible that your arguments might outweigh or come before the dropped argument or that you can articulate why arguments on other parts of the flow answer the conceded argument. I pay attention to cross-examinations so please take them seriously. CONGRATULATIONS for making it to state!!! Each of you should be proud of yourselves! Please, be nice in debates and treat everyone with respect just as I promise to be nice to each of you and do my absolute best to be predictable and fair in my decision making. GOOD LUCK!

Dan Moss Hire

Helen Mulugeta Garland High School

Dhyan Patel Southlake Carroll

Chaitra Pirisingula Hire

Last changed on Wed January 17, 2024 at 5:16 PM CDT

Intro:

Add me to the email chain: chaitrapirisingula@gmail.com

Hey! I'm Chaitra Pirisingula and I use she/her pronouns. I debated for 4 years at Millard North on the local and national circuit. I mostly ran phil and some Ks. I also enjoyed theory and T.

Tech > Truth

Read anything you want as long as you explain it well.

Speed is fine.

Quick prefs:

theory/T/phil - 1

K - 2

LARP - 3/4

tricks - 4

Longer:

Theory/T: I really enjoy these debates even if they are frivolous. I think there should be a lot of weighing with standards and voters. You should read voters but if the debate gets really messy my defaults are fairness>education, no RVI, competing interps, and drop the debater.

Phil: I am most familiar with this type of debate. I've read a lot of frameworks but I am most familiar with Kant, Butler, Levinas, and Macintyre. I think you should always try to line by line a framework as well as make general responses. Make unique arguments and answer your opponents line by line.

Ks: I mostly read cap and set col but I am somewhat familiar with other authors popular in debate. A lot of my teammates were K debaters so most of my knowledge is based on their rounds. As long as you explain your theory well and don't just rely on long prewritten overviews, these can be great debates. I default to T>K but it would be pretty easy to convince me otherwise.

Non-T/Performance: As long as you explain your method well and make the round accessible these rounds are great, but I do think affs should generally have some topic link.

LARP: I probably won't know much about the topic (especially if it's one of the first tournaments on a new topic) so that might make these rounds harder to adjudicate. Evidence comparison is important but also make sure you spend a lot of time answering the warrants of the evidence itself. You should read a framework but I default to util is no other framework is provided.

Tricks: I will listen to them but I don't like voting off blips so my threshold for responses is very low.

Overall, I am open to anything as long as rounds have a lot of clash and you understand your arguments. Be nice, be creative, and have fun!

Eswaran Rajagopal Seven Lakes High School None

Jai Sehgal Hire

Last changed on Fri February 9, 2024 at 8:20 PM CDT

Jai Sehgal

Updated for 2023-24 Szn

*Online Rounds*

Please go at ~60% of what your normal speed would be. I am not going to flow off of the doc, so if what you are saying is not coherent, I will not flow it. I have seen far too often debaters compromise articulation in their speech because they assume judges will just blindly flow from the doc. I understand that virtual rounds are a greater hassle due to the sudden drops in audio quality, connection and sound, so err on the side of slower speed to make sure all your arguments are heard.

Be sure to record your speeches locally some way (phone, tablet, etc.) so that if you cut out, you can still send them.

Prefs Shortcut

LARP/Generic Circuit - 1

Theory - 2

Phil/High Theory Ks - 3/4

Tricks - Strike

General:

I default to evaluating the round through a competing worlds paradigm.

Impact calculus is the easiest way to clarify my ballot, so please do this to make things easier for you and I both.

Assume I don't know much about the topic, so please explain stuff before throwing around jargon.

Give me a sufficient explanation of dropped arguments; simply claims are not enough. I will still gut check arguments, because if something blatantly false is conceded, I will still not consider it true.

I love good analytic arguments. Of course evidence is cool, but I love it when smart arguments are made.

I like it when a side can collapse effectively, read overviews, and weigh copiously.

There's no yes/no to an argument - there's always a risk of it, ex. risk of a theory violation, or a DA.

Evidence ethics are a serious issue, and should only be brought up if you are sure there is a violation. This stops the round, and whoever's wrong loses the round with the lowest speaks possible.

Disclosure is a good thing. I like first 3 last 3, contact info, and a summary of analytics the best. I think that as long as you can provide whatever is needed, you're good. Regardless, I'll still listen to any variation of disclosure shells.

Please write your ballot for me in the 2NR/2AR. Crystallization wins debates!

I debated mostly policy style, so I'm most comfortable judging those debates. I dabbled into philosophy and high theory as well, but have only a basic understanding of most common frameworks.

LARP:

My favorite kind of round to judge is a util debate. Unique scenarios/advantages are great.

I love impact calculus. The more specific your scenario is, the more likely I am to be persuaded by it, and a solid analysis of the impact debate will do good things for you.

A lack of offense means that there's always a moderate risk of the DA or the advantage. Winning zero risk is probably a tougher argument to win - that being said, if there's a colossal amount of defense on the flow, I'm willing to grant zero risk. However, simply relying on the risk of the DA will not be too compelling for me, and I'll have a lower threshold for arguments against it.

Theory:

If you're going to read theory, prove some actual abuse. My threshold for responses to frivolous theory has certainly gone down as I've judged more debates, so be wary before reading something like "cannot read extinction first."

I default competing interps, DTD, and no RVI's, but have realized there is some degree of judge intervention in every theory debate. Therefore, the onus is on you to win your standards clearly and do weighing between different standards.

Please go at like 50% speed or flash me analytics when you go for this because I’ve realized theory debates are sometimes hard to flow.

Kritiks:

I'm fine with generic K debates, but I'm probably not the best judge for high theory pomo debates.

The K must interact specifically with the aff because generic links a) make the debate boring, and b) are easy to beat. The more specific your link is to the aff, the more likely I will like listening to it.

I'd rather see a detailed analysis on the line-by-line debate rather than a super long overview. In the instance where you read an egregiously long overview and make 3 blippy arguments on the line-by-line, I'll have a very low threshold for 1AR extensions for the concessions.

I'll vote on K tricks and dropped framing arguments, but only if these are sufficiently explained. An alt solves the aff, floating PIK, conceded root cause, etc. are all much more persuasive if there's a clear explanation.

I don't have many reservations in terms of what I want/don't want to see while judging PF, but here are a few things to keep in mind:

If it's not in FF, I will not vote on it.
Weighing should ideally begin as early as possible, and it will only help you if you do so.
If you would like to read theory, don't hesitate, go ahead.
Second rebuttal needs to respond to everything + frontline.

Adrian Sendejas Hire

Last changed on Fri March 22, 2024 at 10:03 AM CDT

****He/Him/His****Preferred name is “Adrian”*** Yes,email chain. Oneoffcap@gmail.com ***

Policy Debater @ UTD 25’

IF YOU ARE THINKING ABOUT DEBATING IN COLLEGE THEN REACH OUT TO MY EMAIL ABOVE... UTD HAS GREAT COACHES, PROGRAMS, AND SCHOLARSHIPS FOR DEBATE + MANY OTHER THINGS...

Quick Prefs:

1- Policy (CP + DA, DA + Case, T, Straight or Impact Turns)

2- IdPol K, Low-Theory K's (cap, security, university), Phil

3- Theory, PoMo or High theory K's

Strike- Tricks, Memes, Skep

General Thoughts

I flow. I will make my decisions largely based on it, as I feel it is the most objective metric I have to evaluate the debate. You can still have good judge instruction. They aren’t mutually exclusive.

Dont be ableist, sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic etc. you will have an L0 slam-dunked onto your ballot.

low tolerance for misgendering, just use gender neutral pronouns if you’re not sure.

Make sure to set up the email chain pre-round

Titles of email chains should go as follows: teams, tournament and year, then round number" *** ie “Aff Team v Neg Team -- Grapevine 2022 -- R4”, for example

Dont clip cards--if called out there will be a very swift path to an L.

*** Judge instruction is very key. Legit, tell me how to write my ballot. An interactive moment in the last rebuttals where you literally say “top level your ballot should be based on x" followed by an explanation of x, why x should be the top of the ballot, and why you are winning x in relation to your opponents refutation is very persuasive to me. ***

Policy v Policy -- DA's should have a link, outweigh and (hopefully) turn the case, CP's should usually solve the aff or a portion of it and be competitive via a net benefit of sorts. UQ CP's are usually chill -- I default to sufficiency framing, and will not judge kick unless told to. Not great for process/consult-esque strategies.

T -- Probably better for T than most, but won't know a ton of nuances on high school topics -- default to competing interps, and im best for limits standards in these debates -- ev should have 2 things, intent to define and intent to exclude — im not very compelled by “we’ve read this aff all year/it’s the end/beginning of the year” args

Policy v K -- Win a link, you dont have to go for the alt but it can help. If you dont go for the alt and they win try or die framing, you are in a bad spot. Explain your theory of power / thesis claim of the criticism, and how it implicates the aff. Aff teams probably get to weigh the case, neg teams get links/DA’s to it.

K affs vs T -- Affs that have a unique, strategic angle on T in these types of debates will be rewarded with better speaks. Neg without a persuasive reason for why debate is primarily a competitive activity and overcoded by competition probably loses. Affs that have a counter-interp that can justify their approach are appreciated. I care FAR FAR less about having a TVA than some judges.

K v K -- I really need some judge instruction here. Explain why your theory of power accounts for theirs, subsumes theirs, and is a better explanation for the other criticism. More explanation is better, keeping it simple is also good.

Theory -- Dont go for the weird spec shells if you dont have an actual abuse story, and dont go for condo unless it is severely fumbled. Condo is typically great. Saying contradictory things is not. I prob default reasonability on theory and competing interps on topicality. Disclosure theory is not compelling, unless paired as a standard on some type of T flow, you prob dont get to be non-topical on top of not disclosing but its still not too strong of an arg.

Speaks:

Hella arbitrary, don’t really rock with em, but it’s a part of the game I guess.

I’ll try to stay within a decent range, starting at a rough 28.5 and working up

dont be an a-hole in round for no reason

strategic decisions will be rewarded

+.2 if you make a sports reference that makes sense in the debate or make me laugh in general

Interp — Solid intro, get my attention. Nothing is off-limits (absent the aforementioned explicit comments). Organize your speech into points. Speak/communicate in whichever way makes you feel the most comfortable. I primarily did extemporaneous in HS when I did interp events.

Closing Remarks:

I understand the time commitment that is put into debate, and will do my best to adjudicate to the best of my ability because that is what you deserve. This activity becomes toxic often times, and I believe judges can play a large role in that. Knowing this, I will do my best to be understanding of all circumstances. If there is ANYTHING I can do to better accommodate you, please let me know prior to the debate beginning if you are comfortable with that. You may also let me know at any other time throughout or after the debate.

Anika Sharma McKinney High School None

Joshua Smith Rock Hill HS

Last changed on Tue January 30, 2024 at 6:21 AM CDT

Email: joshbutdebate@gmail.com

College: UT Tyler 21-Present

High School: Lindale 17-21

General philosophy: Feel free to read whatever you feel most comfortable with. I went for critical arguments almost every debate my senior year, but the previous three years I spent reading exclusively policy arguments and I read a mix of the two in college. You know what is and is not appropriate to say within rounds and if you don't adhere to that, your points and ballot will reflect it. If you have any questions about your argument and whether or not I'd be receptive to it, it's better to ask than be bothered by my ballot.

Comments:

If you say the words "for a brief off time roadmap," I am going to be sad.

Tech>truth. A dropped argument isn't assumed true without an extended and weighable warrant.

Depth>breadth. I'm not the best judge for more than 6 or 7 off, but if you feel like you need 13 pages to win a debate, I'll just be sad.

I prefer you to not read 30 cards in a speech. Evidence quality is really important and if you throw that out of the window just to throw the other team off, your speaks will reflect it. Comparing evidence quality is a great way to turn the tide in your favor in debates in front of me, as I will do my absolute best to evaluate only what was said in the round.

If it gives you better context, the most influential people to how I view debate are Cody Gustafson, Quaram Robinson, Yao Yao Chen and Nico Juarez.

Disads

-Uniqueness controls the direction of the link, this goes for both sides. If you want to win a link turn, you must win that the disad is non-unique and if you want to win the link you must win that it is.

-Zero risk is possible

Counterplans

-Much more persuasive if they have a solvency advocate, just reading a line in the 1NC just to dump 6 minutes on it in the block means that I give the aff leniency in rebuttals to catch up, but that isn't an excuse for sloppy 2ACs

-This is one place I am very up for a theory debate, whack counterplans that wipe out much of the aff lit base are probably bad for everyone, but the amount of times I've gone for counterplans that definitely cheat on some level puts me in the middle here.

-Doesn't really bother me if they're specific or not, but even if you don't have specific cards you should be able to explain why the counterplan solves the specific harms of the aff with a risk of a net benefit

-Generally for judge-kick, you just need to actually say it. This doesn't mean I can't be dissuaded by the other team in the final speech though.

Kritiks

-Feel free to read them on affirmative or negative, but don't get lazy with them and engage with the arguments the other team is making. Just reading the blocks you wrote at the beginning of the season and not referencing specific authors, lines of evidence from either side and engaging with arguments without specificity is a good way to get really behind in these debates.

-Framework isn't as important to win on negative in a lot of these debates, but if winning a research method through framework is what your critique is all about, of course you must win it.

-Most familiar with critiques of capitalism, settler colonialism and various areas of literature involving anti-blackness. Have read a bit of PoMo, but it is probably the argument you will need to spend the most time explaining. Regardless of my familiarity with your argument, you should be doing the work as if I've never heard your argument before.

-Specific links and explanations of links to either the topic or the affirmative are really important. Even if your link is generic and fits into every shell, that doesn't mean your 2NC or 2AC should sound the same every round. Great link explanation and application is a great way to get better speaks. The inverse is true as well.

-Impact and alt debates are often very muddy. Explaining your impact in a way that it can result from the links and be resolved by the alternative is something that is important. Alt explanation doesn't have to be hard, you just need to do it. History is your greatest resource in these debates, don't forget about it. Examples and explanations are great ways not just to get better speaks, but to win my ballot.

Framework

-Do your thing here and go for the impacts you are most comfortable going for. These debates often get lost in the internal links and fall short in the impact debate, be very careful there.

-Topical versions are important, but you need to make inroads outside of them to implicate why they're important within the debate. Don't just shallowly extend it or acknowledge it and move on, these can shred most of your offense on either side, but are very important to win when aff.

-Impact turns and impact defense are important here, but fleshing these arguments out is something a lot of teams don't do.

Topicality

-I have a higher threshold for voting for this against policy affs, some of these T interps are getting out of hand. That being said, T and advantage counterplans were my favorite arguments to go for, so feel free to read it if you think you can win it. Sometimes you might need to take these debates a little more slowly, it will benefit my comprehension given there are generally fewer pieces of evidence in these debates.

-Having good definitions (that define words in the resolution) is important.

-Please don't refer to a sheet by the authors name, instead refer to it by the word/phrase that the author intends to define.

Theory

-Please no tricks, they're bad for everyone

-Reasons to reject require warrants and weighable impacts

-Counterplan theory is probably a good idea, look above.

-IVIs/RVIs are cool, but not every sheet is an IVI. For example, if the negative reads a topicality shell in the 1NC and then choose not to go for it, that isn't a reason to vote affirmative.

Sandeep Sud Seven Lakes High School

Cheri Van Sant Manvel Speech and Debate None

Mandheer Walia Plano East Sr. High

Jack Xuan Project Dialogue Academy

Amanda Zhu Project Dialogue Academy

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