General Info

Pine Crest School '18

Georgetown University '22

Explain acronyms (no topic knowledge)

TLDR

Do what you will, but do it well.

T-USFG/Framework/"No-Plan" Affs/Whatever you like:

As a HS debater, I pretty much exclusively went for T/FW against these affs. That being said, I really don't have strong opinions on this. For the aff, advocate something, be able to answer why the ballot matters to your advocacy, and clearly explain the impacts to your interpretation of debate or the impact turns to their interpretation. For the neg, pick your impacts and defend them. Have good counter examples to the other team's examples and be able to explain why the ballot is important to your interpretation.

Kritiks

Do specific link analysis. If your cards don't say anything relevant to the aff, do the explanation yourself. DO IMPACT CALC. Just because it's a K doesn't mean you don't get to explain why the K's impact outweighs or turns the aff. Explain the alt and all of its functions by the end of the neg block. Against the K, defend your aff, point out why their links aren't links, and 9/10 you will get to weigh your aff so case outweighs is solid, and explain why their alt isn't sufficient or have offense against it.

Counterplans

No strong opinions here. If it's theoretically questionable, then question it and win it on the flow. I've gone for enough "cheating" counterplans to really have no strong opinions on this.

Disadvantages

Same deal with the CP section. Do impact calc. Do line-by-line. Don't group things that can't be grouped (i.e. first argument and fifth argument on the flow just because they both started with no link).

Topicality

Slow down. If you're going too fast, I'll tell you. I know nothing about the immigration topic. Do not assume I know camp affs or what the acronyms are.

Theory

Slow down. If you're going too fast, I'll tell you. Have real theory debates with impacts if you plan on going for it in the last rebuttals.

I believe that all debates should be an educational activity, with inherent qualities of persuasion and logic. I want to hear debating about the topic, not technicalities of rules. I also want a persuasive, well-presented debate, and NOT speed delivery.

Biography

I competed on the circuit for three years in policy, PFD, impromptu, oratory, and congress. I placed in local and national tournaments, and eventually competed at the Tournament of Champions in PFD my senior year.

PFD Paradigms

I am a strict flow judge. I will not make connections for you. If your opponents are being abusive or are wrong, call them out on it (politely) otherwise I will flow their argument. Extend your arguments through out your speeches, and clearly link into your impacts.

If an argument is not mentioned in your summary speech, I should not hear it in your final focus. It’s not fair for the first speaker to win on an argument the second speaker does not have time to respond to.

I do not usually call for evidence since I believe all evidence analysis should be handled in round. However if your opponent heavily contests your evidence or if it sounds too good to be true, I may ask to see it. 

Road maps are appreciated but not required.

I do not flow CX, but I do listen. If you want me to weigh an argument in the round, mention it in a speech. CX is your opportunity to get the information you need from your opponent. Also, don't be a jerk. If you don't let your opponent speak, I will assume you are afraid of what they have to say.

I heavily value impact calc. Tell me why your impacts are more important than your opponents.

Tell me how to vote. I love voters and frameworks.

Policy Paradigms

I am a blank-slate judge. Tell me how to vote.

I like K debating. That being said, I only like Ks if they are done well. Do not a debate a K if you do not know what you are doing.

I do not flow CX.

I do not usually call for cards since I believe all evidence analysis should be handled in round. However if your opponent heavily contests your cards or if it sounds too good to be true, I may ask to see it. 

You can spread, but slow down for your tag lines or important analysis.

Other than that, have fun, and I will vote on anything.

You've already done all the hard work, so I have no harsh rules for debaters. Speed and prep arrangements are up to you. A few guidelines:

1. Make short arguments, in plain language.

2. Roadmap and offer signposts as you go through the flow, particularly in rebuttal speeches.

3. Good presentations focus on three key points, at most.

4. But good debaters break rules sometimes.

Diction and speed should be clear and reflect insight to the meaning of the piece. Think of variations in speed and volume other than just faster and louder to show emotion. Sometimes a whisper is more powerful than a shout.

When appropriate to the event, do not be afraid of movement! Please consider blocking that is truly reflective of the meaning of the piece and internal motivations. In duo events exceptional performance includes a mature interaction and awareness of the other - active listening, genuine reactions and responses, blocking that is integrated and realistic- not just pacing around each other.

For prose and poetry, exceptional performance includes clear distinction between characters / pieces maintained throughout the performance. A clear understanding of the purpose for each piece in the overall theme is also key. Consider the intro as an important opportunity to guide the audience to the lesson or impact you’d like the performance to have.

LD - I am a traditional judge, I do not favor progressive LD. I look for clash and a good morality debate. I also favor good communication. If I can't understand you, I can't flow.

PF - I am a traditional judge, do not favor progressive PF. See above.

Director of Forensics at Juan Diego Catholic High School - Draper, UT

Coach of TOC Qualifiers in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2014, 2015

Debated at Idaho State University

2010 NDT Elimination Round Participant. 2010 + 2011 CEDA Quarterfinalist. 

Public Forum

Experience:

Coached PF and LD for the past 5 years at Phoenix Country Day School in Arizona where I also teach economics. PF and LD competitor in 2003. I have judged Public Forum and LD at all levels over the past 15 years.

Bias:

I do believe that Public Forum should be accessible to all levels of judge experience, and I am less inclined to see arguments that serve to exclude the general public amicably. That being said, I hate intervening in rounds, so it is your opponents' job to explain why those arguments do not meet the spirit of public forum, are antithetical to the educational purpose of the event, and/or create levels of abuse that tip the balance towards one side or the other.

General Philosophy:

Tabula Rasa - I'll only intervene if something egregious or offensive occurs that an educator needs to step in and correct. Otherwise, I'll vote on the arguments in the round and weigh the impacts through the frameworks that are presented. If there are competing frameworks in the round, show me why you win through both of them.

I may seem like I am not paying attention but I am listening. I am not very good at small talk so if you have a question just ask me.

To the point:

I am very much a progressive traditionalist when it comes to Public Forum.

What does that mean?

Yes, I believe that parents should be 100% comfortable judging public forum debate at all levels. It is your job as a debater to adapt and NOT the other way around.

Fast talking is fine. Don’t spread. Creative Arguments, I am listening. You are not actually topical, but you are in the direction of the topic, YES, I am still listening.

FRAMING IS THE BEST PART OF PUBLIC FORUM DEBATE. How your team frames the round should be strategic and work in your team’s advantage. A team should only concede framework if they actually believe that they can win the debate under the other team’s framework. Otherwise, defend your framework. If they call you out for “abusive framework” tell me why it’s not and why I should still be voting under it.

While it’s not mandatory, if you are speaking second you should address your opponent’s rebuttal. I don’t expect you to split your time in some specific way, but at the end of the day a speech did happen just moments before yours and you kind of need to engage with it. (Translated: Must respond to your opponent’s case and defend your own)

Rebuttals: cover their case in the context of yours. cross applications are going to be key to get me to sign the ballot in your favor.

I do not flow cross, but I am listening and PRAYING that all the cool things that take place during this time find a place in speeches. Otherwise, all the sweating, panting, and exchanging of evidence was pointless.

BOTTOM LINE:

If it isn't in Rebuttal, it can't be in Summary. If it isn't in Summary, you can't go for it in Final Focus.

Oh ya, I am bad at speaker points.

As it relates to LD -

Fast talking is acceptable but I cannot deal with spreading for extended periods of time, flow, and be objective. My mind drifts whenever people speak to me in the same cadence for extended periods of time.

Spreading: My brain can’t handle it which is why I generally avoid judging TOC Circuit Varsity LD debates. I do this because I agree that spreading is a skill and I understand that since you are on the circuit you would probably like to have the opportunity to do so. However, if you get the wonderful privilege of having me judge you, I will expect you to do a few things to enhance my involvement in the round. I ask that you not practice spreading in front of me.

“I hear everything when in sensory overload. But it’s not as if I can hear what is being said; rather it is just many, many sounds, unfiltered and loud. It feels like sounds are coming at me from every direction. Lights from all directions also seem to glare in my eyes. Sensory overload is horrible.” — Laura Seil Ruszczyk

I evaluate the framework first. I prefer debates that are topical. That said, I think on most of the resolutions for LD there are lots of topical discussions debaters can engage about race and identity matters.

If they say they are in the direction of the topic and clearly articulate how they are, I would probably agree that they are probably pretty topical. However, I do think T is a real argument.

I prefer students to use cx for questions and answer exchanges, not for extra prep.

Your best bet with me is to refrain from speeding. If I don't hear it, it didn't happen. The best and most effective speakers are those that can present a logical argument and back it up with relevant evidence, then point out the reason(s) their opponents' cases are not as strong.

I don't appreciate people who blatantly lie and claim that opponents have failed to address points when they clearly have. Denying reality may work for politicians, but I don't much care for politicians, so don't try it with me. Tell me WHY your case is stronger, don't make empty claims. 

I lean left, but I respect anyone with solid research and logical reasoning. Alaska tends to be very traditional, not a progressive circuit, so that is what I am used to hearing. A more progressive case may not be as effective with me as it is with others. 

Keep it clear, concise, and comprehensible. 

The debate space is where we learn something, but that being said don't refuse to debate the resolution because we are there for that. I like kritiks, but within the boundaries of the resolution. Speed is fine, but I can only weigh what I can flow. Develop your arguments throughout the round. Prove to me that your frame work should be preferred, or failing that win on the contention level. 

If you get into theory about the purpose of debate then make sure that you actually stick to the topics at hand as well. Relate the theory to the current debate. 

Background
I was a high school and college policy debater in the 1980's. I have taught policy debate for 21 years both in California and Oregon. I have coached several policy teams to nationals. I love this form of debate.
Paradigm
I am a real world policy maker judge, who is somewhat traditional. I look to see who advocates for most viable and beneficial policy. I am a recovering stock issues judge.
What Makes Me Smile
I like to see an organized flow, with lots of analysis connecting evidence to claims. I also like to see a fun spirited debate, where debaters are polite to one another and are in this activity to learn, not just to win.
Speed
I can flow a fast debate, but prefer communication over speed. I find that most policy debaters who spew, can't really handle the speed they are attempting and therefore lose their judge and opponents, ultimately rendering this communication event moot. However, if you must race through your arguments, at least be slow and clear on the tags. 
K's
I do not like Kritiks. I will listen to them and weigh them against other arguments on the flow, but overall am not a big fan. If you run a K, make sure to fully explain your philosophical position and don't run positions that will bite your K. 
T
I will vote on T if not used as a time suck. "If you run it, go for it, don't kick out of 4 T's in your last rebuttal."
Tag Team CX
I don't mind tag team cx; however, I award speaker points based on your ability to ask and answer questions, so if one partner is "tooling" another, then one of you will suffer point wise. I like to see that both partners are knowledgable about the topic and debate theory and get disgruntled when one partner will not allow the other partner a chance to answer any questions.
Flex Prep
What? Really? No!
Flashtime
I don't count flash time as prep time, unless it becomes ridiculous.

Short short version - don't suck.

Somewhat longer versions (by debate type)

Lincoln Douglas Debate

Speed - if it's clear OK, otherwise I'll say "clear" once then zone out. I do value good speaking skills and will factor that into my overall decision.

In all fairness, I do not walk into the round with a blank slate. I do assume both sides have an equal burden. I do assume the resolution was worded in such a way to provide equal grounds for debate. Feel free to argue that it's not so, but you're really going to have to be convincing. All that means I rarely, if ever, buy a kritik in LD.

I lean towards the traditional when it comes to LD. I like to hear debates that cover the big picture of the topic then use multiple supports to bolster that argument. I don't like to hear 20 blips then the debater proclaiming with glee "he dropped contention 17, I win!". I will use what both debaters have told me to weigh the specific arguments and decide how much a specific drop harms your side. So, a good thing to do is weigh your (and your opponents) arguments and tell me which are the important ones in the debate and why. That gives me something to go on. I also expect impacts from your arguments. Why is it important and how does it affect the validity of the resolution. I expect CX to be more than just asking for contentions you didn't hear. I listen to CX and it can factor into my decision, however you should always mention things you thought were important during CX in a later speech.

I do not stop the prep time clock for dealing with thumb drives, computer glitches, etc.  If you want to run "flex-prep" or anything considered outside traditional LD, let's talk before the round.

Things you might want to know:

I have "real" job as an software engineer. I don't spend endless days in Starbucks reading the latest philosophy rags. I'm not going to know the stuff you're running and thus not vote for it. I'm a man of science, not letters. I have a tendency to like facts, figures, stats and evidence over philosophical poofiness. Break things down for me and show me how you answer the resolution correctly.

I expect civility in the round. Ad Hominem attacks, spreading as a tactic, and just generally being mean I frown upon.

The world already has enough jerks, don't be another one.

I normally will not ask for cards after a round unless a competitor asks me to on suspicion of an ethics violation. If your card wasn't clear the first time, well I guess I didn't get it. Like I said at the top, I still value good speaking skills.

Public Forum

I have absolutely no tolerance for what I'll call "unsportsmanlike conduct" in a round. I've seen too much of this in PFD. I will drop you for being a jerk.  You don't care about low speaks, but a drop gets your attention.

I also really, really like it when teams use studies and examples that are not the same dang 3 examples everyone and their dog is also running. Do some digging, give me something unique, fresh and different and you'll be rewarded. Work on making this a decent debate event and not add fuel to the fire for the detractors of PFD.

Congress

Unless you are the first speaker, please, please advance the debate by offering something new or clarifying something that's been said, or countering something already said.  Don't repeat, rehash and recycle.  This is a debate event.  I expect a clash of ideas.  If you are the PO, I'm OK with a little levity in the chamber, but don't go off the deep end.  I expect the PO to run the house and know what they are doing.  If I'm the Parli - I'm there to help you if you ask and to keep things from getting out of hand.  Other than that - it's your house, have fun.  I very much frown on "unsportsmanlike" shenanigans in the house, like intentionally blocking people from speaking as a team tactic.  My frown extends to my chamber rankings.

Policy

I don't do drugs.

Speech

You want me as your Extemp judge.  I love this event.