Rosemount Irish Invitational
2023 — Rosemount, MN/US
Policy Paradigm List
All Paradigms: Show HideEmail: colinabe05@gmail.com
Experience: I am new to the novice packet, but I will do my best to flow and follow along. I am good with speed, but just make sure to slow down on analytics and tags so I can hear what arguments you want me to hear and be able to flow your cards better.
Philosophy: I think debate is a game that improves education and helps with public speaking. I am a tech-over-truth judge.
Affs: I think that affs should make sure to extend their cards and answer the opponent's cards clearly and concisely. I want the aff to tell me the story of the round and how they prove their impacts via proper impact calc.
K's: I don't like K's of K affs, and I don't think I ever will. I don't care if I am not preferable to any K debaters; I will still stand by my beliefs. The alt needs to be explained clearly as to how it works in the status quo. You need to prove how the aff links to the K and explain it well. The framework should be explained from both sides, and how I should weigh the round. You also need to prove how the alt solves better and weigh the K's impacts against the aff's impacts, and prove it's worse and will happen now. Finally, warrant it out and explain it clearly. Reading buzzwords doesn't give me enough reason for me to vote unless the aff doesn't answer it well, either and this applies to every other case/offcase arguments.
Novices: I have noticed this in a lot of rounds, but most of the novice teams forget to mention the cards they had from their constructives when going into your rebuttals. Please don't drop your cards and try extending them and analyzing them in the rounds. Then make your arguments in the round. I value argumentation over spreading, so make sure to do that.
Everything else:
-Tag team is fine, just don't overtake your partner answering the questions. When I say this please don't have your partner speak for the entirety or most of it. Just let the person actually ask the questions and then help them if they are really struggling.
-Run whatever floats your boat (that won't make you lose speaker points) and just be good. Don't be toxic in the debate round- you will lose speech points if it happens and that includes laughing silently or loudly at the other team.
-When I talk about roadmapping for you speeches, I want you to mention how many offcase positions you are running and then reading case. It's not the exact order but basically if it is going to be topicality or topicality answers (which is always first for the aff), case, cp, da, and k, then say 4 off and then case. That's the basic example, it's more so just an efficiency thing and is better than saying what your are running which is fine but your opponents should be trying to flow your speech so they should be focusing and listening. For signposting, please slow down on any major tags, authors, dates, overviews, etc. This way your judges can flow your speech better and then you can spread the rest of the card. It is just better that way so I don't miss any cards you read in your speeches.
-If you don't adapt to my paradigm you will lose speaker points by about 1 or 1.5 points depending on certain factors such as dropping arguments, not explaining things well or just extending, not doing any argumentation, or asking questions about tag team when I explain it above. I have been noticing a lot of debaters haven't read my paradigm or try to meet my expectations for when I am your judge. You should ask questions to the judge if you're confused about something in their paradigm.
-I know it's not expected in local tournaments, but if you read something like 20 off (yes this has happened before) and read 1 card in the offcase and your strategy is predicated on how much they drop, you will lose at least 2 speaker maybe 3 if I feel mean that day. It just showcases my utter disappointment in your skills as a debater.
+1 speaks: If you say a joke in your speech once. Multiple times of saying jokes won't increase your speaker points. You will still only get 1 point of speaks.
Background:
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Head Coach--Farmington High School (2020-date)
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Co-JV/Varsity coach at Rosemount High School for 6 years (2014-2020)
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Head Coach--Forest Lake, MN (1995-2000)
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Assistant Coach--Mankato East (1993-1995)
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Concordia College (1989-1993) (NDT twice)
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Rosemount High School (1985-1989)
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Staff--Concordia College Debate Institute, Minnesota Debate and Advocacy Workshop (MDAW)
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Committee to develop the Novice Packet in Minnesota
To answer this ahead of time---yes, I want to be on your email chain. Ask me for my email.
Top Shelf:
Generally more tech>truth. I debated in a world where the K was brand new and my partner and I won a lot of rounds on rhetoric K’s. K’s that relate to more traditional political concepts make the most sense for me (Cap, Biopower, Neolib, Abolition, Feminism, IR, etc) in the context of a policy debate round. I was not a philosophy major and I don’t get all excited about the nuances of Baudrillard, or other high theory topics. Lots of big, academic words don’t impress me and honestly, I probably don’t understand them in the same way you do so if you choose to run args like that, know that I probably don’t interpret the distinctions you are making in the same way you do and I don’t really see how or why that arg is relevant to the debate round unless you explain it in real world (ie: the way non debate entrenched people) terms.
To be transparent, I am increasingly concerned that the debate space i being rarified to a degree that is irresponsible academically. All too often I see high school debaters simply parroting the phrasing and thought processes of their coaches about very complex and nuanced philosophical concepts. I teach high school students every day. There is a developmental and congnitive difference between high school and college students. I am not inclined to believe that the debate I see on these topics is created by the debater, but rather by the coach. That is problematic to me.
Other thoughts...
Policy maker at heart--I’d rather think about the consequences of plan than about academic discussion of high theory
If I don’t understand your argument, I don’t want to vote on it. Signposting will probably help you here.
If I can’t understand you (spreading, etc), I can’t vote on it
I won‘t judge kick for you. It was your strategy, not mine.
In this technological world, Disclosure Theory args strike me as a whine unless there is some sort of egregious situation that occurs.
I am a teacher and I look at debate through that lens. Education is the main reason why I do this activity.
I believe that the argument construction provided by Toulmin (claim/data/warrant) is the bedrock upon which competitive debate has been built.
I don't like judge intervention, you should be telling me how to vote in the final two rebuttals.
Online debate: I coached and ran tournaments during COVID. I do know that smart debaters will sacrifice a degree or two of speed in order to improve the clarity. I will tell you if you are not clear. I don’t want folks talking over each other during cross-ex. I will be patient with tech, but also mindful that we have a schedule and it is best to stick to that. If tech issues become extreme, I’ll ask the tab room how they want to proceed. I will probably not have my camera on so get verbal confirmation that I am there and ready to go before you start speaking.
I am also a fan of debaters being good human beings. Being kind, polite and remembering that we are all humans goes a long way in my book. If you are debating a less experienced team, there is no glory in crushing them into the ground. Remember, you were inexperienced at one point, as well. Additionally, I believe people should be consistent, both in terms of their arguments and, in the world of the K, in their advocacy. Post-Rounding me is also not cool. My decision is my decision and that will be your privilege when you are a judge.
If you have other questions, or concerns, please ask.
Email: sambaumann04@gmail.com
Feel free to run any argument you'd like, as long as you run it well I will evaluate it. I have a strong negative preference to both K's and K-affs however, so if you do run them please be as clear and thorough as possible.
Hello I am Benazir. I am a lay judge who is judging for the first time. For bonus speaker points please mention "sparkle in the air". 0.5
Name: Matt Davis
Affiliation: St. Croix Prep, Stillwater, MN
Email: mdavis@stcroixprep.org
Years Coaching: 12
Years Judging: twenty-four
School Strikes: St. Croix Prep
Rounds judged this year (insert any year here): usually between 80-100
***Include me on the email chain (LD, CX)
Background:
I debated for St. Francis High School, in Minnesota, from 1989 to 1993, during which time I debated two years of CX and two years of LD. I also debated four years of CEDA debate, debating for various schools. I have been the Director of Speech and Debate at St. Croix Prep in Stillwater, Minnesota since 2013, and I have coached LD, CX, WSD, PF, BQ and all speech categories. I also teach ninth grade Ancient World Literature at St. Croix Prep.
Overall Philosophy:
I believe that competitive debate is an educational space that should allow students to explore the relationships of different arguments and/or philosophical ideas. I also believe that competitive debate is an exercise in effective rhetoric (ethos, pathos, logos). With all this in mind, I love debates that involve teams that know their position in the debate and are passionate about their arguments. If one team in a debate shows that they care more about their arguments than another team, this definitely can have an impact on how I evaluate the round. I typically evaluate each team’s use of evidence, reasoning, and passion to further their arguments and clash with their opponent’s arguments, hence my previous mention of the role of the effective use of ethos, pathos, and logos. Most importantly: Be consistent, tell a good story, and explain your arguments in the context of what has happened up to that point in the debate. Teams that just read pre-written rebuttal speeches that don't contextualize their arguments don't usually do very well in front of me.
LD/CX Evidence:
First of all, evidence is only one part of a debate. Debaters should remember that there are other aspects of debate as well, such as claims and impact analysis. If you are simply extending an author’s name in order to extend an argument, you still need to extend the claim and warrant, or I am not voting on it. I will look at evidence after the round if the evidence becomes a controversial issue in the debate, or if one team is leaning heavily on a piece of evidence for their win. With this in mind, I don’t think that enough debaters go after their opponents’ sources. However, if it is clear that the source is biased or should clearly not be considered a reliable source, I would encourage debaters to make this an issue. Also, I am not a big fan of reading more evidence in the rebuttals. Sure, there may be a necessary card or two that can be effective in the first rebuttal for each team, but I would suggest using what you already have read in constructed speeches to respond as often as possible. I often find that a 1AR that can use the evidence from the two affirmative constructive speeches should have done enough to "find a way out" of the negative block (if it wasn't in the AC speeches, then its probably too late in CX debate).
Speed:
Short Version: Be clear and intentional on your tags and author names; you can go faster on your evidence, but I should still be able to understand you. I prefer passion and intensity to speed. Most of my debaters are traditional LD debaters, so I'm not a big fan of circuit speed. Will I flow it if you are slowing for tags and authors? Sure. Will I like it, probably not s'much. In this regard, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE SIGNPOST. If you just go on-case and dump a bunch of stuff on the flow, I won't do your work for you.
Long Version: Many of today’s debaters (at least circuit debaters) are not doing much that is different than what has been done in the speed category over the last twenty years. However, I do have some preferences in this regard. When you are speaking at 250+ wpm, I have difficulty distinguishing what you want me to flow versus extraneous evidence text or extemporized explanations, which invariably leads to miscommunications later on in the extension debate. One request that I have to resolve this issue is that debaters speak more articulate and “slower” in their presentation of their signposting, their claims, and their citations. This really shouldn't slow down the overall presentation of the speech by much, but it should make the presentation of those “flow-able” points more intentional. Additionally, I will not shout "clear" or "slower" if you aren't articulating your signposts, tags, and cites. An optimal speed is probably around 200-250 on average for me if you at least slow down for these three areas.
Persuasion:
As previously mentioned, evidence is only one aspect of rhetoric, and the best debaters know how to balance ethos (evidence), pathos (passion/emotion), and logos (logic/reasoning). Additionally, I feel that the most persuasive debaters are those that can do the line-by-line debating but also move the debate to the bigger picture as well.
Preferences:
While I believe, as previously stated, that competitive debate is an educational space that should allow students to explore the relationships between different arguments and/or philosophical ideas, I do feel that there should be some topical awareness in a debate. With that in mind, I would suggest that any critical affirmative arguments should be accompanied with a thoughtful explanation of why I should entertain a debate that is not related to the topic as worded in the resolution, or explain why their critical affirmative should be considered in the context of the resolution as in the direction of the resolution; otherwise, I feel like this is a tough area for me to validate, especially if I can imagine a world where the aff is just a neg kritik of affirming the resolution. I would say that my favorite debates are debates that are actually directly tied to the topic and manage to address the underlying issues inherent in the topic through a strong philosophical or political debate (I do prefer critical affs that are actually topical). However, this doesn't mean that I am partial to these arguments. I will entertain any argument, as long as the debater provides solid and supported rationale for its use in the round and its connection to the topic or the opponent’s arguments.
Cross-Examination:
I really enjoy a great cross examination, especially because it allows debaters to really show their skills when it comes to the interactive part of debate. I think that cross examination is a place that really allows the most prepared debaters to shine. Because of this, I usually determine how I am going to assign speaker points based on a debater's performance in cross-ex. So, please don't ask if you can use the rest of CX as prep. That will always be a big "No."
I am okay with tag-team cross-examination in policy debate to a degree, but I hate it when one debater is clearly the puppet and their partner is the puppet master. This becomes obvious if one debater has no clue how to answer questions posed about what they just read in the speech. That being said, I would encourage you to use tag-team cross-ex as an emergency cord, not as something that should be used frequently.
The Ballot:
Just because a debater says that an argument is a voting issue does not make it so. To make an argument into a voting issue, a debater needs to provide warrant for its impact as a voting issue. Each debater should be able to provide decision calculus that makes my job very easy for me (which, ironically, if done well by both sides, may make my job even harder). I am someone who typically votes with their flow, which makes a debater’s speed adaptability and articulation key components in my ability to make a decision in their favor. Additionally, as previously mentioned, I will take a debater’s persuasive style and passion for their arguments into account. I would say that these areas help make my decisions when the debate is very close. Lastly, as far as the “role of the ballot” is concerned, I will leave that up to the debaters to decide. If there is no “role of the ballot” argument made in the debate, I will do my best to intuit this role from your arguments and voting issues.
Policy Notes:
As has been mentioned previously, I am accepting of most arguments, as long as the debaters are able to explain the rationale behind running such an argument and the impact that the argument has on the debate. I love direct clash, since I believe that this shows a team’s level of preparedness, especially in policy debate, but I also love good critical discussions as well. Overall, I would say that the biggest issue for me is speed. Please, please, please, at the very least, make your signposting, claims, and cites audibly clear and slower than the rest of your speech. I believe this also offers you the opportunity to add emphasis to these points as well, and in so doing show the passion you have for your arguments.
LD Notes:
For me, everything in Lincoln-Douglas debate should come back to the framework debate (value/criteria). However, if a debater decides to run a policy affirmative (or counterplans, disadvantages, and kritiks on the negative), then I will decide the debate accordingly. However, just because you have a plan doesn't mean that the framework debate is automatically a Utilitarianism debate. If the opposing side reads a value and criteria and makes the debate about how we are to evaluate arguments (value/criteria), then you need to be ready for this debate, since (as previously stated) this is my predisposition in LD debate. A debater could win all of their contention level arguments and still lose a debate if they cannot prove that their method for evaluating the arguments should be preferred over their opponent's method. I think that some of the best LD debaters are those that can attack criteria with supporting evidence, or they can prove how they can perm their opponent’s criteria. Ultimately, I will vote on the voting issues presented in the debate (or impact calculus if the debate becomes a Util debate), but I will consider the criteria debate first and last when making any decision. That being said, I will entertain "nontraditional" affirmatives and negative positions in a debate (Topicality, Kritiks, Theory, etc), but you need to explain its relevance to the topic and/or arguments that have already been presented in the debate.
How I vote: I want debaters to tell me why I should vote for their position over their opponent's position. If you just barf a bunch of arguments onto the flow and don't explain how I should evaluate them against what your opponents have said, then I probably won't be too keen on buying in to your "story." I'm not a fan of judge intervention, so don't leave me too much room to make my own decision.
NEW STUFF***Kritikal Arguments Continued(CX/LD):
As mentioned before, I enjoy a well-run kritikal argument on either side of a topic; however, with this in mind, I have a few significant points I would like to discuss.
First, I believe that a kritik only holds its value when maintaining all primary parts as a cohesive whole (link, impact, alternative, and alternative solvency). That being said, if you try to extend the front half of a kritik as a non-unique disad, I will be unlikely to vote for it. There is some room for methodology to become a singular issue, especially in KvK debates, but I haven't seen those as often.
Second, a Kritikal Aff should still affirm the resolution (or be very much in the direction of affirming the topic) - I am a fairly firm believer in switch-sides debate, and I want to see teams that can think of the topic from different perspectives. I am fairly easily persuaded that Non-topical K Affs are taking away ground from the negative. Also, if the neg chooses to engage in a K v K debate, there are no perms, since perms in a methods debate are super abusive.
Third, a good alternative is a necessary part of the debate, but it can hinge on what you are trying to accomplish in the debate. If you are trying to affect change in the debate space with the hope of spillover, then your alternative should reflect this specifically. If you are trying to play the hypothetical game that the policymaking affirmative is playing, then play that game but be prepared to explain specific steps to the world of the alternative and what that world will look like.
Fourth, I am most familiar with the following Ks: Cap, SetCol, Biopower, Ableism, Death Cult, Anthro, IR, Borders. However, if you can explain the kritik to me in more cogent terms, I am willing to entertain other kritiks. What this probably means is - if you are running a unique K, slow down.I don't like to feel like my brain is melting.
Prep Time: Please don't steal prep by taking extra time to assemble the doc, attach the doc, and send the doc. I will run prep until the speech doc is received by me.
ONLINE: To keep these things running smoothly, I won't disclose at the end of the round.
THEORY: DIsclosure theory in LD is a non-starter for me. I am a small school coach, so I know the argument. I just don't like it. I firmly believe that disclosure norms are net worse for small schools.
Pre-round paradigm
Hello! I am good with pretty much any argument as long as it is developed as an actual argument. I much much much prefer clash to avoiding argumentation. Something isnt an argument just because you say it is, it has to actually be an argument.
Prefs paradigm
Please put me on the email - Harvanko11@gmail.com - but I probably wont be reading ev during the debate I enjoy all types of debates as long as they are done well, I will try my best to be tab and adapt to whatever style of debate you are used to rather than having y'all poorly adapting to what i am used to. I am fine with most things as long as you take your opponent seriously. go at like 70% of top speed. I obviously do have opinions on things as everyone does so the rest of this will be trying to be transparent about what those are. None of this is set in stone and I will try my best to rid myself of any ideological bias during the round.
For quick prefs i hate you if u read tricks and will happily evaluate everything else
POLICY AFFS
I enjoy all of them from the most stock aff on a topic to an in-depth process aff as long as they are debated well and I am given a clear story of the advantages/what the aff does to solve them.
K AFFS
Go for it, I would much prefer if the aff had *some* relationship to the topic either being "in the direction" or telling me why I shouldn't like the topic (and more importantly why that means I should vote aff) and I do not really like an aff that is just something that can be entirely recycled every topic. With the framework debate I probably err towards a well thought out counter interp than just straight impact turning everything but both can be viable and winning strategies.
THE CRITICISM
This is what i have debated with, read, and coached the most so this is where I am most familiar (and subsequently hold harder lines for explanation). I enjoy innovations in critical literature quite a bit so long as it can be well explained.
For both, if you are not black, do not read afropessimism. I will not vote for you. I will generally have a strong predisposition against you if you read it in other rounds and change it in my round. I think that this is unique to afropessimism given how strongly the authors are have addressed the theory being uptaken by non-black scholars.
PHIL POSITIONS
I have at least some experience in most philosophies. I have a hard time believing that all the philosophies that y'all claim don't care about consequences actually don't care about them (kant is an obvious exception). With a policy against a phil debate, I would prefer having some spin as to why your offense is relevant under their framework than just going all in on their framework being wrong or yours being normatively true but either can be a winning strategy.
COUNTERPLANS
I really enjoy a good counterplan so long as I know both how it competes and what the net benefit is (competition from net benefits is competition enough but there can be more). I really really enjoy process counterplan debates as long as I understand its distinction from the aff.
Counterplan theory is pretty much the only theory that I am wholeheartedly for. I come from LD originally and have moved into policy so my thoughts on condo aren't really clear yet, for LD I can be easily convinced of either side.
DISADVANTAGES
I don't really have any strong opinions about disads. I would like a lot of impact and turns case analysis if the disad is the only thing in the 2nr. I don't think I would be comfortable voting on a disad if the aff has a comparable impact without some level of solvency push by the negative.
THEORY
I can get behind most theory debates as long is there is actual abuse. I know I know, reasonability is arbitrary but I think there are affs that clearly are not abusive. I think that fairness is a good internal link but not an impact in and of itself (and I imagine that that will be hard, but not impossible, to convince me of). I actually find myself hating judging theory debates nowadays because they are usually way to fast for me, so with that, I would prefer if you slowed down quite a bit if you're going to be making hella quick analytic args (this is generally true but especially true for theory debates). I really don't like disclosure in most cases unless the aff has been broken but isnt disclosed online and isnt disclosed in person before the round.
TOPICALITY
Go for it, I am predisposed to think that t isn't an RVI but can potentially be swayed otherwise. The more contextualized definitions are to the topic the more I like them. I think t can be incredibly persuasive against k affs as well (not as a framework position but actually going for t)
TRICKS
I've come around, maybe tricks aren't that bad, but only if everyone there is able to know what is going on. I do not like hidden arguments in the middle of a block of analytics and i probably won't vote on the resolved apriori but I think that a lot of phil arguments (e.g. skep, trivialism, etc.) get a bad rep and aren't evil and are sometimes interesting to ponder thru. This is a philosophical forum after all. This is all to say: please don't read rapper trix, you can go for kant is the only way to resolve skep and maybe that skep argument is a presumption/permissibility trigger.
ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS
- CX is binding but I probably wont write anything down unless you explicitly direct me to in the moment.
- Speaks start at around a 28.5 and I look to go up or down from there based on strategy, efficiency (not time efficiency but if you are too repetitive on an argument), and clarity.
- Please ask me questions before the round if you are unsure of anything!!!!!
- I welcome you all to post round me, we are all in debate for a reason and i love to argue
Tabula Rasa judge
I use 5 primary criteria to determine the winner of a debate: Solvency, Harms, Inherency, Topicality, and Significance.
Yena Koo (she/her)
Edina'24
Please add me to the email chain!! --> yenakoo19@gmail.com
Novices/Policy:
Speed --> I am fine with speed, spread through whatever you want in your constructive speeches but BE CLEAR and slow down a little on your tags and analytics.
I don't care if you tag team if both teams are okay with it (just don't abuse it --- example being cutting your partner off)
I am fine with whatever you run as long as the arguments you are presenting are well articulated/developed (that being said, just do your best!).
I'm not gonna time your speeches, prep, or cx.
Don't be racist, sexist, homophobic, etc...
Reference Sabeeh Mirza's paradigm for further info.
Nick Meyer – (He/Him) – njmeyer915@gmail.com Use the email above for any email chains during the round. Hi, I was an Eagan High School Debater 2019-2023, and I am currently a business major at the University of St. Thomas.
Logistics: I am new to the novice packet. I am good with speed, just slow down on analytics. I don’t have any problems with any arguments. Tag team is fine if you aren’t asking the questions for your partner.
Speaker Points:
If you’re racist, homophobic, transphobic, or sexist, you know the drill: I will give you the lowest number of speakers points I possibly can.
If you have any questions, you can email me at njmeyer915@gmail.com or speak to me in-person.
my pronouns are she/her
my experience is in policy, if I'm judging you in a different category, please have patience
run whatever seems best to you, i won't automatically vote down any position (and i assume you have the decency to keep things respectful - if what you're reading are arguing is harmful, that takes precedent over any debate arguments)
i prefer you don't spread analytics in front of me, even if they're on the doc.
most (not all) of the notes below are for the neg, i will vote for pretty much any aff that can prove they solve a problem that they have also proven is more important than that of the neg. i also like creativity, and am certainly not opposed to voting for a K-aff, policy gets stale sometimes anyways.
K's
you have to explain each part of your K flow for me to consider it voteable. if your alt solvency is talking about revolution, and your alt is a mental rejection, you would need to explain how those fit together.
affs who focus entirely on the link side of a K debate are generally not on top of things, obviously it can work, but its much more convincing if you can meet the K at a critical level instead of avoiding its content with a 10 foot pole. debate the whole K.
CP's
Your CP needs an explicit net benefit and generics such as states or actor cps are hard to do right and generally not very convincing. if your main net benefit is a solvency deficit you need to do as much work on harms as the aff did in the 1AC.
if you make me laugh, you instantly get at least a minimum of 28 speaker points.
Hi! I'm Kate and my pronouns are she/her. You can contact me or add me to the email chain at knozal@macalester.edu
Some background info for you:
I debated for Rosemount 2017-2021 and I have coached at Highland Park (St. Paul) since 2021. I am currently studying sociology and data science at Macalester College. I pretty much judge on the local Minnesota circuit, Blake will be the one exception this year.
If I'm your judge:
First, I want you to enjoy debating and feel comfortable. If there is a way I can support you please don't hesitate to reach out beforehand or whenever a concern arises. I also really value education and I hope you do too. It will make me happy to see you doing your best to learn for yourself, and with your partner and opponents.
Second, I am looking for you to write the ballot for me in your last rebuttal. I don't want to have to do any work for debaters when writing my rfd so if you provide me with a clear way to evaluate impacts and how to resolve the round you will be in a great spot. With that being said, I vote off my flow but I'm not perfect, so it's your job to tell me where and what you want on my flow (aka signposting and clarity of speech are important). Tbh, I don't enjoy tricks or out spreading your opponent. I think the best rounds are when debaters are making smart and competitive choices but also considering others in the round and how you conduct yourself affects the community.
Other info about me as a judge:
As far as argument-specific questions go please feel free to reach out to me by email and I'll respond as soon as I can. My best advice to you is to read what you want to! Debates are way more fun when debaters care about and write their own arguments. When I was in high school I went for Ks on the aff and neg.
Judging Paradigm:
Reece Peters (he/him)
Email:
reecepeters1@gmail.com
Experience:
I debated at Eagan High School for four years, three of which being on the Policy Debate team. I have experience judging from lay to circuit, so I'm not averse to any particular style. I've also debated Public Forum and Big Questions - alongside some brief Lincoln-Douglas exposure.
I've been a policy debate coach at Eagan High School for the better part of the last three years and have around four years of formal policy debate judging experience across all range of skill levels.
Tag Team:
Yes, it's fine but be respectful of your partner. Speaks will suffer if you are the only one talking.
Default Philosophy:
I tend to abide by the principle that debate is a game meant to improve the education and public speaking of its participants, but I am open to any framework you can argue.
I will not make arguments for you that aren't on the flow. If you want me to think something, you have to say it in round. Tech over truth.
Argument Preferences:
No specific argument by default will be rejected by me (barring exclusive or otherwise harmful positions of course.)
Topicality- It's up the neg to show why a non-topical aff is "bad" (even if the violation is blatant or conceded.) Fair warning, however, if a sufficient enough job is done, I do tend to err neg in these rounds.
K- Though I have a modest background in cutting, running, and judging Kritiks, I've never had the greatest relationship with hyper dense or esoteric K-theory (think Deleuze-esque.) If you are going to run these types of arguments, be prepared to give clear and compelling rebuttals which tell the story of the K.
Theory- I have a really hard time voting for a theory position that doesn't take a significant portion of the last two speeches unless it's cold conceded (significant determined by the context of the round.) In round abuse is key for the most convincing ballots but not necessary.
Condo- I like condo bad arguments more than most judges, but don't expect reasoning which boils down to "I'm overwhelmed" to secure the win.
Performance- no issue with it!
Presentation Preferences:
Speed is totally fine with me (350+ wpm), but I find my ability to flow comes best when it is clear. I love it when tags are slowed down, and analytics especially need a clearer (often slower) explanation compared to card text. Even card text should be slowed down if you want me to note a specific internal warrant.
In general, abide by the rule that if you want me to pay specific attention / vote on something later in the round, it's vital that you emphasize it. I understand it's frustrating to hear things like "I didn't have that on my flow" or "that was new in the last speech," so for both of our sakes, make sure you are signposting, sticking to roadmaps, and giving clear overviews.
In the same vein, I hate purposefully obfuscated arguments just to bamboozle the other team. To get a gist of my brightline, removing position names in the doc is about as far as I'd push it. Answering clarifying cross-ex questions with purposefully confusing jargon / tautologies, hidden theory, or purposefully mislabeling positions are surefire ways to tank your speaks.
I frequently find that I resolve clashless flows by seeing who did the most explanation / warranting on a certain position.
Looking at me while giving your speech will give you a ton of information about how it's being received (am I thinking, flowing, nodding, confused-looking, typing, time-concerned etc.) This can be utilized to your advantage, as, I am quite expressive for the most part.
Behavior Preferences:
If I were to emphasize any of these categories the most, it would be this one. Please please please make the debate space an inclusive, empathetic, and (dare I say) fun activity for all participants. Belittling, mocking, or name-calling your opposition is not an effective rhetorical tactic, and you'll often find it has the opposite effect on the round results.
**My paradigm got deleted so this is my abridged version.
Hey!! I'm Lizzy (she/her) and I'm about to be your judge!!
Please add these two emails to the chain: lizzysabel@gmail.com ; eagancxdebate@gmail.com
Background: I did 4 years of high school debate at Eagan High School (MN) and now I coach there. I was very much a flex debater. I have judged A LOT of debates in the last few years, but I have been judging on and off for about 10 years. I went to the University of St. Thomas (Roll Toms) and double majored in Political Science and Women, Gender, & Sexuality Studies.
TLDR: Do what you are going to do-- my job is not to police your arguments, but to evaluate the round that is presented to me. That being said, there is no human being without bias and I do my best to explain those below. Above all else, be kind.
FYI:
I'm probs flowing on paper, that I most likely stole from you. Make sure that I am switching to the next flow before you go into 10 theory args at top speed that aren't in the doc. Just look at me and I am VERY easy to read. I vote entirely off of the flow and if your arguments aren't on mine... you can't win on arguments that aren't there.
I can get down with any style of debate, you just need to tell me what my ballot means, how I should evaluate the round, and why that's a good model. If there is no framing or framework, I will default to a utilitarian policy maker/educational games player. Tech > Truth.
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-Judge Adaptation is one of the best skills you can learn in this activity. If you watch me, I will give you visual cues.
-Clarity over speed. If you can imagine your theoretical maximum speed, I would like to hear you at about 80%. Please use short tags, organize your speeches, label positions, and identify arguments that you are responding to by signposting (e.g., 2AC 1) or short summary (e.g., "off the no link").
-I care most about how the affirmative's proposed action will affect people. Explain to me how your impacts affect the material conditions of people's lives and why your impacts are more important than your opponents' (e.g., via timeframe, probability, magnitude comparisons).
-My speaker points are pretty average/high. I would guess that in a decent varsity round, everyone gets somewhere around 28.5. I will reward well-executed strategies, clever concessions, insightful case debates, cross-examinations that develop the debate, and being kind.I will give you bonus speaks if you send out your analytics; I think this is good for the debate community and KIND. After the round, I will look at both teams' wikis and will give you bonus speaks for having sufficient disclosure.
-Show me your personality! People often forget about the actual speaking part of debate. I really enjoy it when people are funny and have personality in speeches, tags, cross ex, etc., but I do think there is a fine line between being entertaining and being snarky, mean, or demeaning. Being disrespectful in any way will hurt your speaks and may warrant me intervening mid-round to correct your behavior. Again, my role as an adult & educator in this space is first and foremost to keep everyone safe. I think the best debaters will have their persona as part of their performance.
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T: Topicality is a default voter for me, but I still need an explanation of why. I went for T often as a debater and I have a decently high threshold of what arguments are necessary to be on that flow (imo it's basic but lol). I think T should be similar to a DA with "UQ, Link, I/L, and Impacts" and organized as such (definition/interp, violation, standards, voters). If one of those are missing it's going to be hard to get my ballot. Jurisdiction is a REAL voter and should be utilized more. I generally prefer competing interps over reasonability, unless it's egregious.
T/Framework: The neg should have a TVA that includes at least some of the aff. I also like to see a topical caselist. Switch side is not something I want to vote on, but will. For ground, I want affs to tell me what ACTUALLY links to their aff to prove that there is no ground loss/core generics that can still be accessed by the negative. Cap links to everything, roll with that... but explain WHY. I need both teams to tell me what their model looks like and why the other team's model leads to bad debates.
Theory: If you want me to vote on theory you gotta go all in and have PROOF OF ABUSE. I'm compelled to reject the argument, not the team unless there is proof of abuse. I think Condo can be a good thing but can be convinced otherwise pretty easily if there is proof of abuse. Also, I think PIC/PIKs are probably good, especially if they are specific to the aff. I'll vote on disclosure theory, but probably not on new affs bad.
Ks: I think the actual K literature base is deeply interesting, but it is often botched in a debate round. I'm familiar with most Ks. Regardless of what you think my prior knowledge is on the K, I need some explanation of what is happening. I have no beef with any lit base, but I do not know your tricks. It is very easy to convince me that links of omission are bad. I want SPECIFIC links TO THE PLAN ACTION, but will vote without them when necessary. Oh yeah, I should have a clear idea of what the alt does & what the world of the alt looks like if you think I'm going to vote on it. Alts are helpful, but not necessary. Sure, kick it-- but I need some FW args on why that should be legit. I think the aff always gets a perm, unless it's a K aff then I'm more flexible. Root cause is not a link.
CPs: Most CPs that are fashionable these days are not competitive. The first thing I think about on a CP is competition. I'm BEGGING you to have a net benefit (internal and/or external). Process & Conditions CPs are sus, especially without a solvency advocate. "Should" definitions are probably bad reasons for competition. Topical CPs are legit, 50 States fiat is probs not, but negs probs get to fiat. I'll judge kick if you tell me to (and why that is a fair thing for me to do).
DAs: Run any disad, please. I really appreciate the strategic choices in straight turning / impact turn debates. I wish more people would run DAs that turn case or just straight up read them as case turns. I need to hear all 4 parts of a disad (unx, link, int/L, & impact), except in very specific instances.
Performance: Do it! Have some framework/theory on why it should be legit. Performance is VERY cool when done well. You need to commit though.
Case: I need CLASH. It is really hard for you to win my ballot as the negative if you do not answer the aff. I also want at least some mention of case in the 2NR-- either in an overview, actually going to the flow, in impact calc, or cross application of links as DAs to case. This doesn't apply if you're going for T or Theory. Inherency is something I wish people would talk about more... it's part of the affs burden of proof.
Experience: I am a sixth-year policy coach for Rosemount High School. I debated for 4 years at Rosemount High School and graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in political science (quantitative-focus) and election administration. My main experience in argumentation is in policy-oriented soft-left positions, with a focus on legal theory (court CP's, Court Legitimacy, Test Case FIAT, etc), although I did often run critical arguments such as Neoliberalism, Security, Legalism, and Disability.
Please include me on email chains: sewpersauddebate@gmail.com
Framing: I view debate in a few ways:
1. It is an educational activity first and foremost. Everything else (competitive success, winning, etc) is second to education. If you aren't learning, then you aren't succeeding in debate. If you do things that actively harm someone else's education, then you will get bad speaker points.
2. It is a game - in the sense that it should be fair, and you shouldn't exclude others from the discussion. This means debate should be accessible and respectful. Intentionally misgendering your opponent, saying rude comments or anything like that (especially laughing at the other person giving the speech) is not good for a game. That will also hurt your speaker points.
3. It is a competitive reading activity - you should read your opponents' evidence and attack the specific warrants. The other team's evidence is also the best way to find links to any kritiks. Additionally, this means evidence quality matters -- if you misrepresent your warrants and the other team calls you out for it, I will intervene and only judge the warrant as the author originally intended it.
4. Clarity > Speed - I flow on paper, and if you are reading at one speed that is incomprehensible, then you will get low speaker points. I have voted for teams but given them 26 speaker points to them purely because they did not slow down throughout their speech, creating a borderline unflowable speech. Lack of clarity is anti-education.
5. In-depth conversation and argumentation >>>>> five-off or more - I think the tendency to read as many off-case arguments as possible to out-spread the other team is an inherently bad strategy and extremely detrimental to debate. It certainly damages education. I will absolutely accept Condo arguments if the other team is reading more than four-off, especially if you explain how damaging it is to education. This is one of the few areas where I am very oriented towards (my personal) truth over tech. Reading an unreasonable number of off-case arguments is a surefire way to lose a ballot in front of me. Especially if 3 or more of those arguments are separate advocacies, I will (almost) automatically buy abuse arguments.
Affirmatives: As I stated before, I prefer policy plans, but if you have a more critical advantage, I will not be too lost. I prefer soft-left affirmatives over policy affs, but I've run both types. Advantages that tackle discrimination including Sexism, Ableism, or Racism are very responsive to me, as I believe they have the most realistic impacts. I also generally believe the affirmative must be in the resolution. In other words, if you have a critical aff, this is not the best round to run it. I believe the affirmative should stick to the plan text and should defend that plan throughout the round. I do, however, understand the validity of Critical Affirmatives, but if you cannot answer the questions from the negative like "what ground do we get?" or "how is your model of debate accessible?" during cross-examination, you will likely lose, because I view debate as a game that needs to have at least some semblance of fairness and education. In my experience, some K affs end up being a way to scare other teams from engaging with the arguments and ends up shifting the discussion away from education. Basically, if you're able to defend how your model of debate promotes fairness and education, then K affs are fine. But I generally think plan-based affs provide for better models of accessible debate.
All that said, I have recently coached teams that almost exclusively read a non-topical critical affirmative and my stance has softened slightly on that front. I’ll evaluate your K aff, but be prepared to defend your model of debate and why you think it’s good!
Disadvantages: If you run this and want to win with it, there must be a clear link. If you don't do enough specific link work in the 2NR (i.e. show how the plan directly causes your link chain), I probably won't vote for it, unless the aff never answers it in the 2AR. Also, make sure you do impact calculus between the aff and the DA, and prove why your impact is worse. I also love when a team runs a CP with their DA. For politics DAs, I hate most of these because I think the logic behind these DAs is bad and generally relies on flawed assumptions. Politics DAs can be creative, but the bar for this is very high if I'm your judge.
Counterplans: CP's are a versatile position which I am quite familiar with. I believe Counterplans do not have to be topical, but they should still be competitive. Also, if you run a CP, make sure you answer the Perm, and when you do, make sure that you tell me specifically why it doesn't function. Theory can be an independent voter (when it is impacted out), so don't ignore it. Additionally, I think sufficiency framing is usually a pretty lazy argument that is made by teams who don't think their CP solvency is all that good. You need to prove why the CP solves BETTER than the affirmative, not just that it solves "enough" of the aff. Sufficiency framing is generally not enough for me to vote for the CP.
Topicality/FW/Theory: While the position is more valid when there is clear abuse outlined in the argument, there doesn't always have to be abuse. It can be used effectively as link traps or for other strategic reasons. I also love Effects/Extra Topicality arguments, especially if presented well. For the aff, Reasonability is a valid argument, but if you want me to vote on it, tell me why your plan is reasonably topical under the neg's interpretation and the aff's. If you want to run T is an RVI, I am not the judge for you! I think T is a great argument, a stock issue, and important to the activity of debate. On theory, disclosure theory is a non-starter. Do not run this, even as a cheap argument. While it won't lose you the round, it will damage your credibility with me and your speaker points. The only exception to this is if the team discloses one aff, and then changes it at the last minute. Then I can see it being warranted. For the most part, I think theory is usually used as a cheap strategy. Don't use it as that. Use it only if it is well-warranted. A-Spec is usually ridiculous and I don’t think I’d find myself voting for it all that often, although if it’s well-warranted, then maybe (the bar for that is extremely high, so please try to avoid this unless absolutely necessary). Perf con against a team reading one-off is ridiculous. Condo against a team reading one-off is ridiculous. Make sure your theory arguments make sense!
Most of all in theory debates, SLOW DOWN! You are essentially reading paragraphs which are incredibly difficult to flow if you just speed through them. I think spreading through theory is anti-education, and is a surefire way to damage your speaker points. I flow on paper, so my flowing speed is limited and I'm not going to flow theory arguments that I missed - it's your burden to make sure I get them. Additionally, if you don't slow down on theory arguments, you will damage your speaker points. Like I started this paradigm with, debate is an educational activity first. If the way you read theory is anti-educational, I will let you know after the round.
Kritiks: I am not great with all K's, so if you run one, make sure you clearly explain the story (especially the link and alternative) if you expect me to vote for it. However, I have run Disability, Security, Legalism, and Neoliberalism K's as well as Word PIKs, and done some coaching on more identity-based Kritiks, so if you're comfortable with those positions, this would be the round to run it. Basically, if you really want me to follow your Kritik, run Security, Disability, Afropess, Language K's, or Neoliberalism. If you don’t care if I understand your position, run Deleuze, Queer Pessimism or Baudrillard. I have a high bar for voting for Kritiks that I am not familiar with. Do not assume I understand your Kritik, explain it at the thesis level. Just as importantly, explain it within the context of the affirmative! What is the problematic assumption or rhetoric that the aff makes/uses? How does that cause the perpetuation of the bad thing you're Kritiking? How does your alternative resolve the issue? A Kritik that earns my ballot will answer all of these questions.
General: Spreading is fine, but make sure you don't go past what you feel comfortable with and SLOW DOWN ON THE TAGS. If I miss your tag because you didn't pause or slow down when reading it, I am not going to flow it for you. Make it clear, or I won't weigh the argument. When you are speaking, make sure you analyze each argument in full and make a coherent claim. Tags should be complete sentences. The word "Extinction" is not a tag. I will not flow it as an argument if that is your tag. Also, please self-time. It really helps me, and especially it helps you.
Please do not try to throw rounds. I have had a team do that in front of me, and I believe that it legitimizes a bad practice in the debate community, is anti-education, and it will severely impact your speaker points if I realize your intention.
Structuring: I will give you extra speaker points if you NUMBER AND SUBPOINT each of your arguments on the flow for the ease of flowing.
Other Positions/Arguments: There are a few positions that I will NEVER evaluate within any round. These include, but are not limited to:
-Racism/Sexism/Ableism Good (and anything like these arguments)
-Suicide CP/DA and/or Death K (Seriously. The way this is commonly debated brings with it serious mental health concerns and I will tolerate none of that.)
-Spark/Wipeout/Timecube, etc
Basically, if you think that your position sounds like it advocates for something offensive, don't run it.
Cross-Examination: Make sure you are polite. I am fine with tag-team if both teams agree to it, but if you shout over your partner, I will dock speaker points. Most importantly, remember that CROSS-EX IS A SPEECH. Cross-Ex is a great place to set traps for your opponents, and for you to be able to use what they say in-round against them. I do flow cross-ex, so I know what was said. Don't try to pull one over on me.
To sum it all up in a few points...
1. Education comes first. Debate is an educational activity at its core, and I believe my primary role within the round is that of an educator. If you do things that I deem as harmful to debate education, you will get lower speaker points, and may lose the round.
2. I tend to be a soft-left-oriented judge, although I am comfortable with policy styles as it's what I used to debate. If you want to run a more obscure Kritik, be sure to fully explain it as if I have never heard of the philosophy before.
3. Cross-Ex is a speech and a great place to form arguments, so use it!
4. Explain everything to the fullest extent, especially links. If there is not enough work done on DA/K/T links, I will not vote for it.
Feel free to ask me any other questions before the round starts!
You can call me alex, judge, or judge alex
They/them
I wanna make it so clear i go off what's on the flow if it's not on my flow i don't know it. so make sure to explain things well.
im down with k affs
I like T and Ks but i will vote for anything
I've been judging for a few years and i debated a bit before that (started judging in 2018)
Its okay to be nervous. debate especially when you just start debating can be really scary. Its okay take a deep breath. if that doesn't work talk to me we can ways pause the round for a minute or two for mental health.
Clarity comes before speed
Yes you can tag team but don't abuse it. (You can not tag team against a maverick )
Even if both teams are three headed monsters the third person who isnt in that debate CAN NOT help.
If I don't understand an argument by the end of the round I won't vote for it
If your spreading is unclear don't assume I wrote down anything you said.
If you don't make it clear your going onto a new card by saying next it is very possible I'll miss your tag.
Make it clear where you on in the speech by sign posting i will probably flow it on the wrong flow which wont make your argument stronger.
Its totally fine to be assertive but don't be mean if you get mean I'll dock speaker points.
If i see you not flowing all of the speeches i will dock speaker points.
Don't ask me questions in round if it deals with the round wait until the debate is over and im giving my rfd.
Extending a card isnt re-reading the card its reading the author year then explaining the warrant in your own words
I don't flow cross x. BUT if you say something that goes against the side you supposed to be on i will write it down in the notes
Tell me if there is anything you don't want me to comment on like if you have a stutter. I dont wanna be bring that up and possibly just annoying you. You can just say things like hey dont bring up if i get stuck on words alot. you dont need to tell me why.