Seven Lakes Cy Park TFA IQT Swing
2024 — Katy, TX/US
CX - Online Paradigm List
All Paradigms: Show HideBackground/other notes:
University of Houston (2023-current)
Jordan High School (2020-2023)
I am a former Policy debater at the University of Houston.
I competed mainly in Congressional Debate for all 4 years of high school with sprinkled experience in WSD and Extemp.
Please put me on the email chain (for policy people) and ask me for my email before the round starts.
Don't call me "judge" -- call me Olive
Pronouns are she/her
Brief Overview:
Truth > Tech
I've read both Policy and K arguments on both the aff and the neg. Storytelling is at the core of debate and debate is just conversations about how we should interpret and act on the stories presented in rounds. I love fun new arguments and will vote on anything so long as your winning the debate and the story adds up. I did congress for 4 years, so subconsciously presentation matters to me a little more than it does maybe for other policy judges but in policy that just means I value respect in round that is balanced with passion. I also take IVI's very seriously.
General stuff: whether you are running a K, a plan, a DA, whatever you should be telling a coherent story throughout the round. Impacts need to be both warranted and visualized. I love evidence comparison/analysis when it comes to authorship and highlighting to illustrate what a card says vs what the team says it said.
Policy vs K: Responses to the kritik need to be thorough and happen at multiple levels (f/w, perms, link defense, the alt, impacts, etc.). I'm pretty lenient with letting the K win links because its rare that they don’t so the job of a policy aff then is to explain to me why the (typically) incrementalist, policy oriented approach outweighs the impacts of the K in the context of what the kritik is talking about. It comes down to telling me why the aff is either key for alt solvency or why the aff is a fundamentally better approach to change than the alternative.
K debates: I doubt I’ll ever be able to judge these that much but I love these debates. I’ll vote for any K aff if its debated well. explanations and overview of each K in the debate is key for my ability to adequately evaluate them. In these method debates, I just need good solvency deficit claims to either side. Or maybe more specifically adequate reasons as to why the starting point of the aff or the neg is the best starting point in order for understanding the topic.
General K Notes: In College thus far I've ran K’s on both the aff and the neg. I’m most familiar with Queer Theory, Settler Colonialism, Security, Weaponitis, Cap, and Ableism. I also have a surface level understanding of Afro-Pess, but for some of the more nuanced aspects of this argument im going to probably need a bit more explanation compared to other K’s. Outside of these arguments, my exposure to other lit is minimal. That does not mean I wont vote on other K's, it just means they need to be explained well.
T: Im gonna be so real. I do not like T debates, but ill still vote on it. Interp's should be obvious and self evident. I define this as generally being realistic. I think most K aff's are mostly topical as long as there is a clear justification as to why the aff is the best or better starting point than pursuing a policy based aff or a topical plan. I'm willing to give a good amount of leeway to K aff's as long as they do what they need to on the T flow.
Theory: For theory arguments i need pretty explicit reasons as to why I should vote on it to reject the team. There are a lot of instances where if the violation is not significant enough I would definitely buy the argument that I should just tank speaks and not reject the team (obviously this does not include racism, transphobia, homophobia, ableism, etc.). This is more referring to things like "power-tagging" violations. Justifications like "its unfair because we have to read their evidence", or anything to that effect, wont ever win in front of me because you should be skimming through evidence already. So yeah, just be realistic when banking rounds on theory violations. Most often, violations should be really obvious and justifiably unethical for me to vote on them.
Congress:
good arguments matter more to me than presentation. For me presentation is more of secondary "tie-breaker" when i have to compare competitors who both present good arguments. But good speaking will not discount bad argumentation and clash on my ballots.
A good argument in congress is not just a independently strong argument, but also needs to be a relevant point in context of the round. There should be a clear overview that connects your speech to the rest of the speeches in the round.
The later in the round you go, the more important it is to narrow down you speech to the main issues/points of clash in the round. That being said, if you argument is more constructive and less able to build off of other people arguments, then you should probably go earlier in the round. After the early speeches, every speech should begin to build off one of another through clash and connections to big constructive arguments in the round.
That isn't to say you shouldn't bring up new angles and ideas mid round, but there has to be a reason as to why what you are saying is important/needed in the round. And you should clearly communicate to me and the round why that is the case.
If you piggy-back off of other speakers, do something to add depth to what they said as opposed to throwing more evidence into their train of thought. Don't just rehash arguments, obviously.
I don't like when mid or late round speakers blatantly ignore previously made arguments that contradict/conflict with their argument. Make sure that you address every argument that interacts with your own. Also a side note, if you spoke early, use question blocks to poke holes in arguments that contradict yours. Its a good way to make sure your voice is still being heard late in the debate even if you spoke earlier.
Overall, just make sure you (both in speeches & questioning) engage the round by keeping your content relevant as the round evolves in addition to strong refutation of previous speakers.
Lastly, be respectful. Respect pronouns. Avoid agitation and be professional. Lack of composure or ignorance will definitely drop you on my ballot.
Have fun, its congress :D
Put me on the email chain: vg.nautilus@gmail.com
Dulls HS '23: debated policy all four years + three tournaments in PF
Policy
Prefs:
syo BUT a speaks fairy
In order of decreasing frequency, rounds I most often debated are:
- K Aff v. Fwk
- Policy Aff v. K
- K aff v. K
- Policy v. Policy
- Theory stuff ig
Things you can actually change before round that would help me:
- Apparently my flow is ass now; for you that probably means please spend more time on the stuff you think is important or be p rigorous about numbering your args/signposting, sorry :'(
- I do not know the topic sorry :,(
- I like case debates!
- Give the important args (turns, perms, DAs, links) actual names
- Lots of pen time between flows please
- Send analytics if you're comfortable
- I flow cross + it's binding
- T-USfg: functional limits check and structural fairness overwriting procedural fairness [attached reason that matters] are persuasive to me.
- Don't judge kick
- I don't like when people spam perms -- also an actual perm text (like literally: perm do [actual plan text] and [the parts of the CA that would be executed in the world of the perm]) will get a speaks boost and is probably also helpful when like ~articulating the world of the perm~
- Offense/Defense paradigm
- Condo is occasionally bad!
- Slow down on theory, topicality, framework
PF
Probs pretty tech but not worth wasting your strikes on even if you're a lay debater.
Prog: dislike theory/Ks in PF but also like intervention probably bad so:
- I'll evaluate everything but will reward good effort w/ good speaks (e.g., a valiant effort by a lay debater facing prog will be rewarded; an LD transplant reading theory or Ks badly will not).
Things you can actually change before round that would help me:
- Set-up an email chain; send all cards for every speech (the underlined, bolded, and highlighted versions) before hand -- it won't count as prep time unless it takes you egregiously long.
- Label major arguments (e.g., "the credibility turn," "intervention turn," etc.) or at the VERY LEAST number your arguments.
- Probably more partial to no-brink = don't eval the impact than most PF judges
- Offense/defense paradigm
- Asserting your impact has a "greater magnitude, scope, and probability than theirs" is not impact weighing. If y'all are going to insist on "quantifiable impacts" please at MINIMUM give me two numbers (yours and your opponents) in the impact weighing + a reason why yours matters more. I do not, however, think quantification is necessary to building a compelling impact.
- I flow cross + it's binding
- Kritiks must have a topic link
- Speed will probably not be a problem for me
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notes for novices:
Roadmap: the order in which you will go to arguments during the debate, essentially a table of contents. This is given before you start the time to your speech (eg. "The order is: the Biz Con DA, Case, the DoS CP, and the K.")
Off vs. On Case: Off case positions are either DAs, CPs, Ks, or T shells. On case positions are Case Defense, Impact Turns, Case Turns, Solvency Deficits, etc. I guess technically anything (except CPs and probably T shells) can be an on-case position - it's just a matter of which sheet you want the judge to flow on.
EMAIL CHAIN: mavsdebate@gmail.com
Name
Please do not call me judge - Henderson - no Mr/Ms just Henderson. This is what I am most comfortable with. I will do my best to offer you the same consideration.
Doc Sharing
Please share speech docs with me, your opponent in a timely manner. If it get long, your speaks drop.
Speed
I am old - likely 10 years older than you think if not more - this impacts debaters in two ways 1. I get the more triggered when someone spreads unnecessarily. If you are using speed to increase clash - awesome! If you are using it to outspread your opponent then I am not your judge. I can understand for the AC but I think a pre-round conversation with your opponent is both helpful and something as a community we should attempt to do at all time. If you do not adjust or adapt accordingly I will give you the lowest speech possible. If this is a local, I am likely to vote against you - TOC/State - you will likely get the ballot but again lowest speaks possible. 2. I just cannot keep up as well anymore and I refuse to flow off a doc. I only have four functional fingers on one hand and both hands likely 65% what they used to be. This is especially true as the season moves along and at any tournament where I judge lot of rounds.
General Principle
I am an educator first. This means that I am concerned about the what happens in the debate more than I do about what the debate claims to achieve. This does not lessen my focus on argumentation, rather it is to say that I am sensitive to the issues that concern the debaters as individuals before I am my concern about various claimed link stories. Be honest, fair and considerate to each other. This manifests itself in my judging when I pay particular attention to the division of prep time. Debater who try to steal prep or are not considerate of their opponents prep will irritate me quickly (read: very bad speaks).
Speaker Points
This is a common question given I tend to be critical on points. Basically, If you deserve to break then you should be getting no less than a 28.5. Speaker points are about speaking up to the point that I can understand your spread/read. Do not docbot. If you do not intonate you are not debating you are reading and that is just frustrating to me. Beyond that there are mostly about argumentation. Argumentation includes strategy, crystallization, and structuring of speeches. If you have a creative strat you will do well. If you are reading generics you will do less well. If you tell a full story on the implication of your strat you will do well. If I have to read cards to figure out what you are advocating you will not. If you collapse well and convene the method and meaning of your approach you will do well. If you go for everything (neg) or a small trick you will not. Finally, if you ask specific questions about how I might feel about your strat you will do well. If you ask, "What's your paradigm?" because you did not take the time to look you will not. Previously, I had a no speaker point disclosure rule. I have changed. So ask, if you care to talk about why; not if you do not want to discuss the reasoning, but only want the number.
Policy
Theory
I truly like a good theory debate. I went for T often as a debater and typically ran quasi topical cases so that I could engage in theory debates. This being said, what you read should be related to the topic. If the words of the topic do not occur in what you read you are in an uphill battle, unless you have a true justification as to why. I am very persuaded that we should learn about certain topics outside of the debate topic, but that just means you should create a forum or propose a topic to the NSDA, or create a book club. Typical theory questions: Reasonability is defense, competing interps are offense. Some spec is generally encouraged to increase clash and more nuance, too much should be debated. Disclosure theory is not very persuasive too me, unless debated very well and should only be used after you sought to have an actual conversation with your opponent prior to the debate. I am very persuaded by contact info at national tournaments - put up contact info and any accomodations you need - it makes for a safer space.
Kritiks
A kritik is a disad with a counterplan, typically to me. This means I should understand the link, the impact and the alternative as much as I would if you read a disad and counterplan. I vote against kritik most often because I have no idea what the alt does. This happens when the aff fails to engage and you think that you now just need to extend tags on the alt and assume that is enough. I need a clear picture of the link and the alt most importantly regardless of how much the aff has engaged or not. Gut check is a real thing. If your kritik is death good you are working uphill. If you are reading "high theory" know that I have not read the literature, but I will do my best. In the 1890s, when I debated, I was really into Cap and Gender based positions. My debaters like Deleuze and Cap (probably my influence, if I possession such).
Performance/Pre-Fiat
If you are trying to convince me that what you are doing matters and can change people in some way I really need to know how. If your claim is simply that this method is more approachable, well that is generally not true to me and given there is only audiences beyond me in elim.s you are really working up hill. Access trumps all! If you do not make the method clear you are not doing well. If your method somehow interrogates something, what does it interrogate? how does that change things for us and why is that meaningful? And most important you should be initiating this interrogation in round. Tell me that people outside the debate space should do this is not an interrogation. That is just a plan with a specific mechanism. Pre-fiat claims are fine, but again I need to understand the implication. Telling me that I read gender discrimination arguments and thus that is a pre-fiat voter is not only not persuasive it is not an argument at all. Please know that I truly love a good method debate, I do not enjoy people who present methods that are not explicit and full of nothing but buzzwords.
Competition
Arguments should be competitive otherwise they are just FYI. This means kritikal argument should likely be doing more than simply reading a topic link and moving on. All forms are perms are testable - I do not default to a view on severance/intrinsic - it's all debatable. I do default on perms being a test of competition. If you want to advocate the perm this should be clear from the get. A perm should have a text, and a net benefit in the opening delivery otherwise it is a warrantless argument.
Condo
In policy, (LD its all debatable) a few layers are fine - 4+ you are testing the limits and a persuasive condo bad argument is something I would listen to for sure. What I am absolute about is the default. All advocacy are unconditional unless you state in your speech otherwise. No this is not a CX question. You should be saying, I present the following conditional CP or the like, explicitly. Not doing this and then attempting to kick it means an advocacy shift and is thus debatable on theory.
Lincoln Douglas
See above
Theory - FOR LD
I note above that I cannot keep up as much anymore. If your approach is to spam theory (which is increasing a norm in LD) I am not capable of making coherent decisions. I will likely be behind on the flow. I am trying to conceptualize your last blip in a manner to flow and you are making the 3rd or 4th. Then I try to play catch up, but argument is in the wrong place on the flow and it is written as a partial argument. I am not against theory - I loved theory as a debater, but your best approach is to go for a couple shell at most in the NC and likely no more than 1 in the 1AR if you want me to be in the game at all. This is not to say I would not vote on potential abuse/norm setting rather keep your theory to something you want to debate and not using it just a strategic gamesmanship is best approach if you want a coherent RFD.
Disads/CPs/NCs
I was a policy debater, so disads and counterplans are perfectly acceptable and generally denote good strat (read: better speaks). This does not means a solid NC is not just as acceptable, but an NC that you read every debate for every case that does not offer real clash or nuance will make me want to take a nap. PIC are debatable, but I default to say they are acceptable. Utopian fiat is generally not without a clear method story. Politics disad seem mostly silly in LD without an explicit agent announcement by the AC. If you do not read a perm against a counterplan I will be very confused (read: bad speaks). If you do not read uniqueness then your link turns are just defense.
Philosophy/Framework Debate
I really enjoy good framework debate, but I really despise bad framework debate. If you know what a normative ethic is and how to explain it and how to explain your philosophical basis, awesome. If that is uncomfortable language default to larp. Please, avoid cliche descriptors. I like good framework debate but I am not as versed on every philosophy that you might read and there is inevitable coded language within those scholarship fields that might be unfamiliar to me. Most importantly, if you are into phil debating do it well. Bad phil debates are painful to me (read: bad speaks). Finally, a traditional framework should have a value (something awesome) and a value criteria/standard (something to weigh or test the achievement of the value). Values do not have much function, whereas standards/criterion have a significant function and place. These should be far more than a single word or phrase that come with justification.
Public Forum
I have very frustrated feelings about PF as a form of debate. Thus, I see my judging position as one of two things.
1. Debate
If this is a debate event then I will evaluate the requirements of clash and the burden of rejoinder. Arguments must have a claim and warrant as a minimum, otherwise it is just an assertion and equal to any other assertion. If it is an argument then evidence based proof where evidence is read from a qualified sources is ideal. Unqualified but published evidence would follow and a summary of someone's words without reading from them would be equal to you saying it. When any of these presentation of arguments fails to have a warrant in the final focus it would again be an assertion and equal to all other assertions.
Synthesis
- Paragraph - you lose. This does not need to be an argument in the debate.
- Read tags that is some like ….” Therefore.” I won’t flow it
- Read a card that does not include a read warrant. This is meaningless in the debate.
- Claiming a card says something that it clearing does not 25 spk loss. This does not need to be an argument in the debate. I will intervene period as you have no ethics for an activity that I care deeply about.
2. Speech
If neither debate team adheres to any discernible standard of argumentation then I will evaluate the round as a speaking event similar to extemp. The content of what you say is important in the sense that it should be on face logical and follow basic rules of logic, but equally to your poise, vocal variation and rhetorical skills will be considered. To be clear, sharing doc.s would allow me to obviously discern your approach. Beyond this clear discernible moment I will do my best to continue to consider the round in my manners until I reach the point where I realize that both teams are assume that their claims, summaries etc... are equally important as any substantiated evidence read. The team that distinguishes that they are taking one approach and the opponent is not is always best. I will always to default to evaluate the round as debate in these situation as that is were I have the capacity to be a better critic and could provide the best educational feedback.
If you adhering to a debate model as described above these are other notes of clarity.
Theory
I’m very resistant to theory debates in Public Forum. However, if you can prove in round abuse and you feel that going for a procedural position is your best path to the ballot I will flow it. Contrary to my paradigm for LD, I default to reasonability in PF.
Framework
I think the function of framework is to determine what sort of arguments take precedence when deciding the round. To be clear, a team won’t win the debate exclusively by winning framework, but they can pick up by winning framework and winning a piece of offense that has the best link to the established framework. Absent framework from either side, I default utilitarianism.
Finally Word for All
I am sure this is filled with error, as I am. I am sure this leaves more questions than answers, life has. I will do my best, as like you I care.
Hey!!! I'm Chris Hooper (he/him)
UH 27' (GO COOGS!!! - not on the UH debate team)
*Update for Bellaire:*
I do not judge many PF debates, so I will try my best to evaluate your round the best I can. I usually judge policy/CX and LD rounds, so I will evaluate arguments the same way I would evaluate them in those formats.
Add me to the chain:
christopherhooper09162004@gmail.com
*If there are problems with email then resort to speech drop*
Any questions you have please email me @christopherhooper09162004@gmail.com
I debated for two years at Heights High School, with my first year being in policy and my second year in LD. I graduated in 2023 and now I am a first year out at the University of Houston. I competed in the Houston Urban Debate League (HUDL) throughout the entirety of my first year in policy, and competed in TFA locals, circuit tournaments, and the HUDL doing LD my second year.
Pref Shortcuts
K: 3-4
LARP/Policy: 3-4
T/Theory: 4-5
Phil: 4-5
Tricks: Strike
General stuff:
· I am not a topic expert in anything read in debate, nor a debate expert. I am still learning, and I will try to evaluate any argument you read in front of me the best I can.
· Treat each other with respect, it is a commonsense thing in general and debate is no exception. Treat everybody with respect and act with common sense, at least within the context of a round. I have no control over how you treat people outside of the round.
· If you have pronouns you would like to me to address you as, please let me know. I do not want to misgender anyone.
· I don't want to see any kind of disrespect, sexism, racism, antiblackness, homophobia, transphobic, any form of bigotry, calling each other names or slurs, rudeness, etc. Any occurrence of this will result in an L with the lowest number of speaks.
· Please do not read identity arguments that you don’t identify with.
- I am not good for the death K, necro politics, anything of that nature and I will not vote on anything that makes me uncomfortable. If you are worried that the argument you are going to read might make me uncomfortable please ask me before the round or before the 1AC.
· Please make sure your docs are organized and easy to use.
· Threshold for speed: 5-6
· Tech > truth
- Prep time ends when you've finished compiling the document. I won't count emailing but please don't steal prep.
- Time your own speeches with the alarm on. If you alarm goes off in the middle of a sentence, then state where you stopped at in the card to me and your opponent(s). Sending a marked doc in the chain would be appreciated but it is up to you.
· If you want to ask your opponent what was or was not read, you need to take prep or CX time for it.
- Signpost and road map before each speech; it will give me a clear direction for the structure of your speech and what arguments you are going for, which will increase the probability of me voting for you.
- Weigh arguments and compare evidence, the more the better
- Give some type of voters at your ending speeches, contextualize the round and why you win the round because of xyz. This will help me get a clear overview of the round and consider the args you tell me to consider at the end of the round and which will appear on the ballot.
- The threshold I have for off read by the neg is around 3-4. Anymore and I will have a hard time evaluating all the args read, and they will not be evaluated to the level you might want me to evaluate them. Also, explicitly state the different types of off in the doc. Please do not hide them in the doc or I might miss it.
- If you are kicking out of something, then explicitly say that within the speech.
· The more you argument makes sense, the more I am willing to buy and vote on it.
K's:
K lits I'm most familiar with: Afro pess, cap, set col, psycho (kinda)
While I am familiar with these lits, I would suggest you still debate under the assumption that I am not familiar with whichever K lit you are reading. In addition, just because I am only familiar with these types of K lits does not mean you shouldn’t read a different type of literature. Read whichever K lit you are comfortable with, and I will try to evaluate it to the best of my abilities.
K alts/methods: I often prefer K alternatives or K aff methods with a more concrete implementation within the real world rather than methodological ones. The more you can explain the implementation of your alt or method, the more I will buy it and vote on it. You are free to read methodological alts/methods, but you will have to explain it more and its implementation during the round. I think also explaining why the theory of power of your K and how it is the root cause is also important for me buying your K and voting on it. I don’t judge many K v K debates, but if I am judging you in that type of round, I would probably like to see weighing between the two theories of power and alts and tell which of the two I should prefer and vote on.
K links: I think the more specific links you have within your K the more I will vote on the K. If there are more generic K links, I will have less of a tendency to vote on the K and the weaker I will see the K as an argument.
Policy/LARP:
- These debates I am most familiar with. Definitely weigh and provide voters and contextualize the round at your ending speech.
- I am open to voting on impact turns if they are done right.
- The more specific links in the disad, the more I will vote on it
- The more concise and clear the extinction scenario and impact is the more I am going to buy it.
- Extend down the flow.
- If you’re running a CP, tell me why the CP solves the aff better and why I prefer it and how it beats the perm if there are any.
T/Theory:
These debates get messy for me and are hard to follow for me, especially dense theory debates. I would much rather you go for substantive arguments rather than procedural arguments. If you do go for theory or T in front of me, please make sure it is a fully written shell for one (no two sentence shells with a blippy interp, violation, and implication). Provide standards, voters, a clear interp and violation, an implication, everything. I think the more specific the interp is of the shell and the clearer violation, the more I am willing to vote on it. I am not good for frivolous shells or anything like that. Slow down when saying analytical arguments or responses to a shell. If you speed through these arguments, I will not catch all of them and end up missing some, which might cost you the ballot.
*I default to competing interps*
Phil:
I have read some phil here and there but did not use it in debate nor have evaluated it within a round, so I am not the best for you if you are a phil debater.
Tricks:
I did not read these types of arguments while I debated nor have judged them in a round, so just strike me if you tend to run tricks.
Above all else, good luck and have fun!!!
I prefer a resolution of debate issues in the round and speaking skills when I judge debate. Be organized. Use structure and roadmaps. Be clear when you speak -- enunciate.
In CX I fall under policy or stock issues when I am making decisions. At the end of the round when I sign my ballot, your plan is in action. That means that aff must have a developed plan in the round. Don't just read evidence in a round. Explain your arguments.
In LD, I am a traditional judge. You must have a value and criterion. You need a philosophy and philosopher in the round. Weigh the round in your speeches.
Add me to the email chain:kkaraki08@gmail.com
I am the Coach for LV Hightower HS in Fort Bend ISD, Texas.
Whether it be a Speech or a Debate event, I'm very much about competitors having a positive experience before, during, and walking away from the tournament. S&D is about mastering technical skills and building relationships with both your teammates and your fellow competitors.
SPEECH:
My two biggest things that I look for in speech events are emoting (do you believe in what you are saying?) and timing (Your speech should not be too short/too long). My biggest Pet Peeves in Speech events are fiddling with keys or phones in pockets while speaking, or foot-tapping/swaying nervously.
DEBATE:
Across all debate competition: DO not present an argument that this world is a simulation, and therefore nothing matters. We are here to debate, not to waste each other's time. If you really want to concede, just say so.
In general, I am fine with spreading, as long as it's done well. I would rather see that you have mastered the basics and are able to communicate clearly than have an overabundance of data info-vomited at 1000 mph. If no one in the room has been able to understand what you said, no one in the competition has benefited, least of all you. That said, it doesn't matter how many cards you have in your case - if you didn't READ IT, it doesn't exist, for the purposes of the debate.
Congress:
Follow the Robert's Rules of Order, be confident, and remain civil to one another. It's that simple.
WSD:
My main judging will come down to how cohesive your argument is, and how cohesively your team works together. I have yet to give a low-point victory in a WSD round.
PF:
Biggest no-nos for me in PF is team-mates speaking up or adding things to a Crossfire that isnot theirs. The first two Crossfires are to analyze THOSE SPEAKERS ONLY. There is no passing notes or whispering advice during those rounds. The Grand Crossfire is the only time for both teammates to be involved in the discussion.
LD/CX:
ALL NEW ARGUMENTSmust be submitted in your first or second Constructive speech.
By the time you get to your Rebuttal speech, we should be dealing with the topics already on the table.
DO NOT SUBMIT ANY NEW ARGUMENTS OR COUNTER-PLANS IN YOUR REBUTTAL SPEECHES.
IF YOU DO, IT WILL GO BADLY FOR YOU.
Hello friends! I'm Kiran, I do policy debate at the University of Houston and help out Kinkaid in policy and PF when I can :)
Don't need to take prep for tech issues, sending cards, etc. but please don't end prep and keep talking to your partner about what you need to do in the speech.
Also, please be nice and a good human being during rounds (and outside of them!)
Yes, I want to be on the email chain: kiran.debate@gmail.com
General things:
I know very little about the high school topics argument-wise, but know quite a lot generally about IPR.
Do whatever and do it well! I read ev during the round but am not flowing off the doc, fine with speed, and I evaluate only what makes it onto my flow.
I won't vote on ad-homs or things that occurred outside of the round. I don't flow RVIs.
I vote on arguments with a claim, warrant, and impact.
You can insert evidence.
Policy v Policy:
These are my favorite debates to judge and the ones I'm best at adjudicating.
Default is judge kick but can be persuaded the other way.
There can be 0 risk of an adv or DA, but it is very difficult.
CP theory is better expressed as competition arguments.
Internal link comparison>impact comparison.
NEG leaning on condo.
Topicality:
Default is competing interps.
More persuaded by AFF flex than a big fight on precision.
Policy v Ks:
Prefer links specific to the AFF with good turns case explanations
Don't love big overviews that try to filter the whole debate, but more and specific examples that illustrate your theory of power are much better
I won't arbitrate a middle ground interp on framework unless it's advocated for
K Affs v Framework:
Pretty sure my record is 50/50 in these debates
Fairness is an impact, but I'm more persuaded by clash
Framework is the large majority of my 2NRs v K AFFs, but I am a lot less persuaded than most by a 2NR that does not mention the case
Need to know what the AFF does before the 2AC
K v K:
Almost never in these debates, not super familiar with the lit, if I am judging a debate where this is the strat-I need clear explanations and examples
Tricks:
No.
Speaks:
I start at a 28.5. Don’t ask me for a 30.
PF:
I largely evaluate PF rounds the same as policy rounds
Don't need big picture things, just explain why your thing outweighs the other team's
Defense is not sticky, I have no idea what that even means
I die a little every time a team paraphrases or spends 20 mins figuring out which cards to send after a speech, please do this before your speech or I will dock speaks.
Speeches are so so so short, you don't need to explain the entire story of your arg each time, just explain why it matters, what your opponents missed, and how I should evaluate it.
Feel free to send me questions, and have fun y'all! :)
*conflicted with BREAK LD (May ‘24-Nov ‘24), Seven Lakes, and Atascocita
Email chain/questions: tuyendebate@gmail.com
Additionally, please add the following emails depending on your event:
PF: sevenlakespf@googlegroups.com
LD: sevenlakesld@googlegroups.com
CX: sevenlakescx@googlegroups.com
Round should start at start time. The first constructive (not the tester email) should be sent by start time. If you cause the round to start late I will dock your speaks.
__________________________________________________
Background/Important info:
University of Houston (Policy debate '21 -'23), BCHS (LD ‘19-‘21), Seven Lakes HS (Assistant Coach ‘23-Current)
***I will not vote on anything that happened outside of round (except disclosure) If you are about to debate someone that makes you feel unsafe or uncomfortable please sort this out with tab before round rather than making it an in-round voting issue.
I will not be happy if you purposefully make the round inaccessible or do not make an effort to let the other debater engage (ex. you hit a novice/local debater and you spread 4 Ks at top speed and a-spec is hidden in between the cards). I will not hesitate to dock your speaks and/or drop you.
Try to minimize excessive noise during speeches and while the ballot is being written. This is basic etiquette, but it is particularly important for me since I tend to get overstimulated.
_________________________________________________
GENERAL (for all debates):
TLDR: primarily a policy judge, you can do whatever as along as you do it well
Policy/Cap > Security/Set Col > Identity Ks/Phil > PoMo Ks > Tricks/Friv Theory (strike)
Debaters work hard and I will always try my best to adapt to you, but my experience and knowledge of args varies. For the most part, you can run what you want and I will vote on anything, but your burden of explanation increases the further you move down the list above. That being said I would suggest that you do not over-adapt. I am of the opinion that the judge's level of preround knowledge becomes less relevant in front of debaters who know their arguments well.
Tech > truth in most cases, but truth determines your burden of proof. Arguments that are less true will naturally require more explanation to be persuasive. A statement without a warrant is not an argument.If your primary strategy is to make as many terribly warranted args as possible in hopes that your opponent drops one then you should strike me.
Will evaluate the round exactly how you tell me to - The more weighing and judge instruction you give the less likely I’ll have to intervene to make a decision. If you do neither of these things do not be upset when I have to arbitrarily decide how to evaluate the round.
I will vote off the flow - I evaluate ev when it is contested. I think more debaters should be punished for reading terrible evidence, but I will not do the work for you. I only flow the things said in your speech, but I will occasionally follow along on the doc to check for clipping. (Horrendous clipping is an auto L).
Time yourself and your opponents
Things I default to but can be convinced to consider otherwise: judgekick, condo good, disclosure good, debate good, competing interps
-------
Specific Args:
I will always try my best to evaluate every argument objectively, but it would be dishonest for me to say that after years of being in the activity I do not have any predispositions that make me historically more likely to be persuaded by certain arguments over others.
LD, CX, PF are combined below. If it is not here, assume I have no specific thoughts about it. Everything that is here is easily changeable via technical debating.
K --- I have and will vote on any K that is debated well, HOWEVER:
I prefer Ks that critique structures over identity Ks. Two reasons:
1. Unfamiliar with the lit bases - I judge these rounds often, but I have not read enough to know more than what debaters have explained to me in rounds. I am often unsure of what the alt to these Ks do ex. I have no idea what death drive, black ontology, etc means as an alt.
2. In round violence - I think that the way some debaters run K args introduces new violence into the round that wasn't previously there. This makes me sad because I think K lit is interesting and great, but its implementation in debate has pushed me towards policy args. An articulation that is just an ad hom is a losing one.
Ks on the AFF: All of the reasons above make me quite receptive to FW against K AFFs. Specifically, if you read a K AFF but cannot provide a reason for why your arguments should be negated.
Ks on the NEG: I like clash rounds and I am much more likely to vote for a K on the neg than a K on the AFF. Specifically if you run Ks like cap like a cp+da or security like a case turn. Explanations that lean into the Ks interactions with the aff on the fiat-ed consequences level have a much higher chance of getting my ballot than Ks that garner offensive from proximate violence impacts.
Theory (excluding T) ---
The greater the time constraints in the debate event the more I tend to err towards the team answering theory. In policy debate there is enough time to develop arguments and thus I tend to view theory in policy as a legit strategic tool. In PF theory makes me want to cry and I’m more likely to err towards reasonability.
friv theory is stupid, I do not like when debaters are afraid of clash.
Disclosure: If you have screenshots/evidence of non disclosure you should put it in the doc. Things said/shown to me during the speeches are the only things I will evaluate.
------
Extra notes for specific events:
PF ---
Read less and better args - I can no longer bring myself to vote on these horrifically warranted link chains that have 0 explanation in ff. Because ev practices in PF are so bad and no one reads warrants my ballot has increasingly been decided on purely which link chain I understand more. Better warranting and better ev will win you the round.
Please collapse in the ff. it is not possible for you to adequately explain 4 diff pieces of offense in 2(?) minutes.
if you go for a turn it must be weighed like any other piece of offense
Prioritize articulating full arguments - If you blip through arguments and don't finish your sentences I will have no idea what you are saying and it will functionally be as if you have said nothing.
Signpost when youre answering different contentions and moving between flows
Procedural stuff - If you send all the cards you are going to read before your speech and don't paraphrase I will boost your speaks
You must start the prep timer if you want to ask a question outside of CX period.
No prep if there is not a timer running.
Weighing - I will judge the round like a policy maker under an offense defense paradigm unless you tell me otherwise. If there is no offense in the final focus you will probably lose.
I notice that in most PF rounds there is no clash on weighing. PFers tend to weigh in a vacuum- ie they do not contextualize the weighing to the rest of the round or do meta weighing.
K: You can run it if you think you can explain it to me in 4 minutes
Defense is not sticky: I will only evaluate things that get extended throughout the debate all the way into the last speech.
Second rebuttal must extend case and frontline. I will not extend args for you just because they are dropped.
LD ---
I don’t judge LD as frequently anymore which means that I may be unfamiliar with various norms and arguments. You should slow down when reading multipoint blocks of analytics since it will take me time to process arguments I am unfamiliar with. Take care to implicate and explain more than usual if you are reading anything besides policy or Ks.
I read phil and did mostly traditional LD in high school because my program was small, but I have done policy debate in college and have been judging on the circuit long enough for you to treat me like a regular tech judge.
what this means:
I tend to judge Phil like an LDer and everything else like a policy debater. It is important that you tell me how to evaluate the round since I do not have a strong opinion on whether LD should be about, for example, testing the resolution or comparative worlds.
- Phil: while I know phil lit. bases I have not thought about them extensively in the context of debate arguments. This means that you may have to slow down a bit and do more explaining. I have a pretty good background content wise for all the very basic and generic phils (Kant, Hobbes, any other enlightenment philosopher, etc.). I prefer substantial over tricky phil.
________________________
Spreading: I don’t care how fast you go if you're clear and signpost, but if I don't hear you it's your fault. I will say clear if I cannot understand you.
Speaks --- I'll start at 28 and move up or down from there
Speaks + : make good strategic decisions, creative, show good understanding of the topic/args, are efficient, organized. I reward the most speaks to debaters who are kind and make debate an enjoyable and welcoming space
Speaks - : Make personal attacks, are unorganized, don’t clash, waste time/steal prep
add me to the email chain: jennm.ochoa@gmail.com (please send as a word doc, thanks!)
hi y’all! i’m jennifer | she/her
paradigm is gonna be divided into sections, feel free to ask questions before round! take the time to read it :)
SPEAKS
i have zero threshold for homophobic, racist, transphobic, xenophobic, and classist etc. comments, remarks, or evidence and I will tank speaks. i am NOT afraid to auto loss and have done in the past. do not make the debate space unsafe, thanks!
i give speaker points based on coherent speaking, organized speeches and effective signposting down the line by line. i do not tolerate excessive rudeness, demeaning others in round or offensive commentary. to me, speaks are also educational so there are also given based off of if i believe you belong in elims. i'll start at 28 and go up and down from there. (don't ask for a 30)
speed is fine and spreading is fine just PLEASE send the doc. DO NOT SPREAD ANALYTICS and please please signpost. upload analytics if you feel like you’re going to spread through them. if I can’t understand you I’m going to miss things when flowing and I’m not gonna vote off of something that isn’t on my flow. also please just ask if your opponent is okay with it (don't spread out novices or be mean to them, i'll probably up your speaks if you choose kindness in obvious power imbalance situations)
LD/CX
bold=tldr
-
construct the narrative for my ballot. don’t make me have to fill in internal links or assume what you’re trying to get at
-
i prefer evidence analysis as opposed to card dumps, i just don’t find them compelling and hate when it’s used in an abusive way. analytics can work just as good as cards. also collapsing is okay.
-
j ust because you use a lot of policy lingo does not make you a better debater. dumping debate language on me is not an argument.
-
winning framework doesn’t win you the round. especially if you aren’t accessing your frame through offense, it isn't my job to weigh offense for you, so please show me how offense connects to frame.
-
please signpost. please. especially if you’re spreading. if you’re jumping from flow to flow I need indication of it, even if it’s just “next off”, i’ll get so lost if you don’t. i’ll flow off the doc for constructive but i’m not gonna flow anything that i don’t understand as you speak.
-
i’m a stickler for warrants. i won’t do the work for you in extending your warrants across the flow, also no warrant arguments are persuasive to me- i'll reread the card.
FW:
i honestly love framework debate if there is one, but i also don’t care if y’all collapse. please make sure you’re accessing at least some level of the framework debate tho.
DA/CP
love DA’s. just please make sure you can win all parts of the disad and please weigh impacts vs. aff. i personally prefer case-specific and UQ DA’s above the generics just explain to me why you’re running it. don’t just dump generic DA’s to waste opp’s time, it’s annoying and i buy aff time skew args.
cp’s are cool. please have a net benefit to the CP, if you don’t and i can’t figure it out you probablyy aren’t going to win the cp. i won’t judge kick, do it for me.
KRITIKS:
love!! i personally love love identity K’s, i think they provide really great discourse into the world of debate. PLEASE do NOT read an identity-based argument if you are NOT that identify, i’m gonna feel really skeptical and i’ll probably feel a little icky. when responding to identity K’s please be careful of how it comes out, if it isn’t a logical warranted argument it’ll probably sound racist, misogynistic, homophobic, ableist etc, if it makes me uncomfortable i will not evaluate it. edit: just because I'm a fan of identity k's doesn't mean you can just weigh the k and not engage with offense/shells, you have to actually win framework+impact calc
K debate tends to have really high academic literature, please use it in an educational manner instead of an abusive one, especially as a tool to confuse your opponent. if you’re running a less familiar k or a new k, you should make sure you understand it, and also please make sure i understand it. i'm not the biggest fan of completely non-topical k's but go ahead
i’m pretty good with understanding most k lit!! if it’s something really niche just have great explanations pls. if I look lost, i promise it’ll show on my face lol
T
i'm pretty lenient when it comes to t. tbh, as long as aff has a decent enough link to the resolution, it isn’t that important of a voter for me unless you prove the link is just like non-existent. if aff is entirely non-topical it's a different story. usually i default to weighing in these debates. this doesn't mean i won't ever vote off t though lol
reasonability ---x------ competing interps
PHIL:
i like phil!! but i’d appreciate good explanations. i’m comfortable in pre-flat worlds. most familiar with authors/theory butler, ahmed, rawls, locke, maslow, kant, etc. spikes are fine just extend and weigh them
THEORY:
shells are okay when warranted. i am the WRONG judge if you run frivolous theory. i’m probably not the best judge for hardcore shell debates. also please have clash if its shell v shell, just reading pre-scripted overview a2’s doesn’t really have specific and true clash. disclosure/contact theory, i don’t feel comfortable voting a particular way inside of a round based on something that happened outside of it, i never vote off of it, and it hurts small schools/programs. i'm not a fan of "new affs bad" or "must include round reports" and (friv) stuff like that either, especially if it's your idea of a round-winning strategy.
i try to give leeway for the 4 min 1ar, but i expect the 2ar to layer voters for me. i think that assuming theory is layered before the impacts of the debate is intervening.
CONGRESS
please have sources and actual evidence. please just clash. please. i don’t find it aggressive to directly attack another representative in the chamber with clash regarding their speech, i actually find it extremely entertaining and it will get you good comments. aggressive cross is fine until your behavior gets annoying.
your presentation is a key part in your ranking.
ok. personally calling a recess to ask for splits will make me eye roll. just give your speeches, if you aren’t prepped, it’ll probably reflect on your ranking anyways. i would rather you call for previous question than hear rehash on a bill or three neg speeches in a row. yes i do agree people should get to give as many speeches as they can, but precedence is still a thing and at the end of the day it’s a competition. take the opportunity to give your speech. yes i rank you based off of your individual speeches but i also rank you off of how you interact in the chamber. i do not rank you based off of how nice you are in round (unless you’re being disrespectful).
i judge every event!! so if you have questions that aren't addressed on here, just ask :)
My name is Jose Ortuno and I am a political science major at the Univerisity of Houston. I am happy to be a part of UH's debate team and hope to compete in many rounds for them in my final year of undergrad. I am a novice debater who had no prior experience with debate until the fall semester of 2021, but I am looking forward to being able to apply my knowledge to future tournaments as both a judge and a competitor.
My email is j133ortuno5c@gmail.com for e-mail chains, document forwarding, etc.
As previously stated, I have limited experience, but I a fan of organized, well-structured arguments that are able to leave me with a strong impact. Conciseness is key to me. Thank you.
Debate:
I want a clean debate, no spreading at all. Please make sure to speak clearly and slowly.
If a debater asks for evidence, show me the evidence as well so I can cross-verify.
No crazy arguments or defending clearly bad viewpoints, I will probably down you if you do so.
Speech:
Speak clearly, I must be able to understand you.
I do think that body language is also a key part of speaking, so keep that in mind when giving your speech.
Don't go too over the top with emphasis, but don't be dull and boring either. Use the right amount of inflection.
If I'm judging a limited-prep event (Exempt/Impromptu), please give me the topic that you have before speaking, and time yourselves please.
If I'm judging any other speech event, please give me the title of your speech before speaking.
Congress:
11/22-11/23 (Big Cat only): I have never judged congress before, but I am registered for this event as per judging obligations. I am trying to learn how congress works, but if I am in your chamber (especially if you are the PO), please help me out as much as possible so I can do my best to judge everyone fairly.
Pronouns He/Him/His
Boling High School 06/ West Texas A&M 10
LD debate
I am more traditional and believe in a strong Value and Criterion debate. I am not a fan of CP in LD but will use it as a voting issue if the AFF doesn't answer it strongly. Speed is not an issue but if I can't understand you then there is an issue. I love philosophy debate and appreciate a strong philosophy based case.
CX Debate
I have been judging CX debate since 2008. I am a policy maker judge. I believe that the affirmative has the burned of proof and the Neg has burden of clash. I do not like time suck arguments. If you are running topicality please make sure that it is warranted. I have no issues with speed but if your diction suffers because of speed i will not flow your speech and your arguments will not matter. I am ok with K, CP and DA. Make your impacts realistic.
Hey gang,
he/him - You can call me Justin
Email: schnitzdebate@gmail.com
Add me to the email chain
The University of Houston Policy Debate Fall 23-Current
Langham Creek High School Speech and Debate Fall 21- Spring 23
Philosophy brought to you by: Eric Lanning and Eric Beane
Cougar Classic Update
I have judged 0 (zero) rounds this year. I will look up what the topic is before the round for purposes of topicality. Do with this what you will.
Who am I?
Current student at UH. I run the debate team's social media pages which is a cool fun fact. I started LD my Junior year of high school, Policy my senior year, and am currently doing Policy at UH. I also did INFO and DX.
I've always done a mix of K and Policy things. On the K side mostly Antiblackness, Critical Disability Theory, and the Cap K. Also done some Queer theory (Puar). On the Policy side it's just... Policy.
I'm more good at impact weighing, less good at big theory debates. Do with that what you will.
Prefs Guide
I know this is what you really care about
"I am running a K-aff, should I rank you high?" Probably not. "Should I strike you?" Probably not. I don't hold a huge preference either way.
"I hate the K and will run framework and cap good will you vote on that?" If you win the debate I'll vote on it. I have become more partial to this, but still think capitalism is probably killing the planet. The alternative feels like we wouldn't have hospitals, schools, and roads though.
"I like to run a bit of policy and K stuff where should I put you?" This seems like the area I'm most competent in
"Wait, so should I run the Cap K or framework?" Whichever you are best at. Quite honestly I agree with both on some level, but will only vote on it if you win it
Speaks
It has been pointed out to me my speaker point allocation has been below average. Going forward I will try and do something like this.
28.5-28.6---Below Average at this tournament (GIVEN THIS ROUND). If you're below this you probably messed something up.
28.7----Average at this tournament (GIVEN THIS ROUND)
28.8-28.9---I think you might break (GIVEN THIS ROUND)
29+---I think you should break (GIVEN THIS ROUND). The higher speaks past this, the better I think you should do.
Debate Stuff
tech>truth
tldr
I will vote for who wins arguments and also wins those arguments being important and also wins those arguments being procedurally allowed.
I'm not opposed to any argument and will flow every speech (on paper (Unless I don't have paper)) along with doing my best to give a helpful RFD.
My decision will be based on what I feel the easiest path to the ballot is. If there is a dropped argument that the last speech and the 2N/2A really blow it up and tell me why it should decide my ballot, there is a good chance that will be my ballot. If I'm not convinced it should decide the round, it will at least weigh my decision more in your favor.
Please don't drop a nuclear bomb on novices. Not every school can fill a novice and jv pool. Be nice.
Procedural Preferences
Prep ends when you're done prepping. That does not need to include sending the email, but go out of your way to indicate you are not prepping. Hands off the keyboard. Don't abuse this.
Asking "did you read this" generally feels like "I wasn't flowing" Not to say don't do it but, will probably result in lower speaker points. This is moot if they really are not clear, in which case I might appreciate the clarification.
No out of round stuff. I literally cannot weigh it in an objective and fair manner.
Case/DA/CP/T
Do it. No judge should have a preference against this. Make arguments and make them well.
K-AFF/FW
I think having a topical plan is generally good for neg prep and policy education. That said, I have run planless affirmatives before (Critical Disability Studies, Antiblackness). I think that there are things outside of USFG action that are important to talk about, convince me debate is the place to do it.
That said, maybe not so much for performance. Not that I won't vote for it, but it'll be harder.
I assume every person is reading an argument to win a round. I have never heard a satisfactory explanation otherwise. You don't need to prove you are personally impacted by the reading of the 1AC to win a round, however.
K on neg
Do it. I have a lot of experience running negative K arguments. Make sure you win framework or turn it into a DA in the 2NR. Your choice. Probably shouldn't go for both though
Phil
Less experience. Generally familiar with philosophy outside of debate, but not so much within. Not saying I won't vote on it, but don't assume I know your arguments.
Theory
I probably won't vote on theory unless its a clear winner or there was some actual impact. If you plan on going for it, make your first block an actual argument, not blippy buzz words. If its not a real argument, I am very persuaded by short negative responses which point this out. If the negative doesn't respond, I am slightly persuaded by "2AC argument was fake and too short to be meaningful, if we didn't catch it that proves, we get new responses since there weren't any real arguments in the 2AC"
Disclosure good, condo good, the answer to most arguments is get better at debate. That said, I'll vote on it, but begrudgingly.
If they are truly doing something bad for debate though (10 off, perm theory, cardless CP, consult CP and all of its friends) I am more inclined
If judging novice, I will almost certainly not vote for theory if any response is given. This is not a productive way to learn debate.
Can I run death-good/spark/wipeout/another edgy argument? I don't care. Your opponent might though and I'm willing to vote on it either way. Also extinction good just isn't very convincing to anybody so probably fighting an uphill battle on this one.
Can I run silly arguments my coach hates? Sure lol.
If you go the same speed in analytics/tag that you go in the card itself I will probably not be able to flow it as well and will give you lower speaker points. You should also go slower in the 2nr/2ar.
Extra speaker points if you can find a card that says "Don't say adopt outside of child adoption" that isn't written by a racist white lady.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Feel free to email me at justinschnitzer22 (AT) gmail if you have questions you think of later.
ASK ME ABOUT THE TEXAS DEBATE COLLECTIVE AND/OR THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON HONORS DEBATE WORKSHOP
EMAILS - yes, “at the google messaging service” means @gmail.com
All rounds - esdebate93 at the google messaging service
Policy - dulles.policy.db8 at the google messaging service
LD - dulles.ld.db8 at the google messaging service
QUICK GUIDE- My preferences/self-assessment. You are free to decide that I am great/terrible for any given form of argument.
Policy - 1
Kritiks - 1
Topicality/Framework - 1
Philosophy - 2
Theory - 3
Tricks - Strike
ABOUT ME
I am currently the program director at Dulles High School, where I also teach AP Psychology and AP Research. I primarily judge Policy and LD. I've been in debate since 2007 and have judged at every level from TOC finals to the novice divisions at locals; you are not likely to surprise me. I have no significant preferences about the content of your arguments, except that they are not exclusionary in nature. I like research dense, content heavy strategies. As such, I am best for Policy v Policy, KvK, substantive phil debates, and Clash Debates. Quality of evidence is more important than the quantity of evidence for me. I believe that Aff teams, regardless of style choice, must identify a problem with the status quo (this can be the state of the world, the state of thought, the state of debate, or something else) and propose some method of solving that problem. I believe that Neg teams, regardless of style choice, must disagree with the viability, desirability, and/or topicality of that method.
DECISION MAKING
I am deciding between competing ballot stories in the 2NR and 2AR, evaluating their veracity and quality using my flow. Tech > Truth, but blatantly untrue things are harder to win. Spin control > me reading a card doc, but I will read evidence if the spin is roughly equal in quality. Judge instruction is the highest layer of the debate. Speaks start at 28.5 and move up or down from there. 30s should be rare, it is unlikely you earned it. Don't ask for one.
THINGS I CARE ABOUT
-
Respect for Others - Don't be a jerk. Use people’s preferred pronouns, provide accommodations when they are requested, be prompt and ready to go at start time, and be mindful of the power dynamics in the room. I will defer to how the aggrieved party wants to handle the situation should an issue arise. If I’m not picking up on something, let me know.
-
Investment - Apathy sucks. Caring about stuff is cool. Whether you’re more invested in saying stuff that matters or chasing competitive success, I just want to see that you care about some aspect of the thing you are giving up a significant amount of time to do. Take notes during feedback and ask questions.
-
Transparency - I believe that disclosure is generally good, as it enables people to read, think and prepare better (obvious exception for when it raises safety issues). Don't be a jerk about it with people who don't know better. Shiftiness and lying are bad. If you are reading arguments that implicate the desirability of transparency, that is perfectly fine. This is just a starting point.
-
Flowing - Do it. Preferably on paper. Definitely not in your opponent's speech document. If you answer a position that was in the doc but was not read, your speaks will be capped at 26.5. There is no flow clarification period. If you're asking questions, it's CX or prep time.
-
Clash - Compare warrants and weigh. Rehighlights are fine, but your speech should explain why it matters. I am not sympathetic to strategies that attempt to dodge clash, like tricks. Specific links, counterplans, topicality interps, etc. are way better than generics. K links should quote the aff.
-
Line by Line Organization - The negative team sets the order for arguments on the case page. The affirmative team sets the order on off case positions. Number or label your arguments as you go down the flow. Overviews are fine, but your whole speech should not be a blocked out overview with no attempt at line by line argument/evidence comparison. Jumping around between pages is extremely annoying and will impact speaker points.
-
Debating the Case - Both the affirmative and negative teams should center the case. If you’re aff, the case should go first. If you’re neg, don’t treat the case page like an afterthought, and certainly don’t focus solely on the impact level. Contest uniqueness, link, internal link, and solvency claims. Making the case page K 2.0 with nothing but cross-applications is both boring and unstrategic.
-
Judge Instruction - The top of the 2NR/2AR should be what you want my ballot to say. Tell me how I should be thinking about arguments and their interactions. Tell me what matters most. When Neg, anticipate 2AR arguments, prime me for skepticism, and tell me where which lines to hold. When Aff, assume I'm voting Neg, figure out why I would vote Neg, and beat that ballot.
-
Complete Arguments - Arguments have a claim, warrant, and implication. I will evaluate arguments, not isolated claims. If you make a warranted claim without explaining the implication for the debate, you invite intervention.
-
Projection and Enunciation - I like fast debates, but if you are unclear I am not going to pretend like I understood you and flow it.
Other than these 10 things, don’t overadapt. Do your thing, do it well. Feel free to ask any questions you have before we start, and I'll do my best to answer.
debatesheff@gmail.com
If policy ALSO add lcandersoncx@gmail.com
If LD ALSO add breakdocs@googlegroups.com
Policy debater at the University of Houston '26
Coach for Seven Lakes HS and Break Debate
Update for Durham (1/17): I don't judge PF a lot and a lot of the norms confuse me. That being said, everything in this paradigm applies to PF. You should make a conscious effort to label arguments and number your opponents responses on the flow. You will not win if your ff is just "aff can't solve", to win debates you require offense. Not everything is a turn. Defense is not sticky. Do judge instruction, your final focus should be telling me what parts of the debate are the most important and why you are winning them. My hands will not be on my keyboard if you make an “IVI” or read non-resolutional theory because if something so egregious happens that it makes a debater feel unsafe I will either intervene or ask you if you want to take it to tab, or the argument is bad and should not have been read in the first place.
I hate deadtime in debates. It makes me increasingly frustrated when there isn't a timer running and it seems like no one is doing anything. To reduce this please have the email chain with the speech doc sent AT START TIME.For every minute past start time without a doc sent i will deduct .2 speaks.
Stop asking for marked docs if they didn't mark any cards. Learn how to flow. Asking for what cards were and weren't read must be asked with a timer on whether it is Cross or flex prep.
Be clear, especially during cards. I should be able to hear every word. You get two warnings - after that, I will immediately stop flowing. I am not going to have docs up during your speeches, so make sure you are debating like a human and not a spreading robot.
I consider myself tab for arguments that are in Policy, but I am not great for LD shenangins outside of things like basic phil arguments. Regardless, conditoned on my biases listed below my decision will be determined based on my flow.
K affs being vague and shifty hurts you more than it helps. I'm very unsympathetic to 2AR pivots that change the way the aff has been explained. Take care to have a coherent story/explanation of your K aff that starts in the 1AC and remains consistent throughout the debate
Inserting rehighlightings is fine as long as you explain why it matters in the speech. I usually read ev while making decisions.
Condo is good and the negative can read as many as they want to. I default judge kick but that can be debated. This is not to say I will not vote on condo, but it requires substanial mistakes to be made by the negative in order for me to get even close to think 2AR on condo is a good option.
Most CP theory arguments are better made as competition arguments. I lean neg on most CP theory questions besides things like Object, private actor, or multi-actor fiat.
I will not adjudicate anything that didn't happen in the round including out of round violations.
I have a disdain for argumentative cowardice. You should not pref me if your entire strategy is based on arguments like tricks, RVIs, or frivolous theory. I will not vote for you.
Qualified authors & solid warrants in your ev are important. Evidence comparison and weighing are also important. In the absence of evidence comparison and weighing, I may make a decision that upsets you. That is fundamentally your fault.
Answering a 1NC position that wasn't read is an auto 27.5. I don’t care. Flow.
Stolen from Pat Fox: When debating an opponent of low experience, i will heavily reward giving younger debaters the dignity of a real debate they can still participate in (i.e: slower, fewer off, more forthcoming in CX). if you believe the best strategy against a novice is extending hidden aspec, i will assume you are too bad at debate to beat a novice on anything else, and speaks will reflect that. these debates are negatively educational and extremely annoying.
Email chain: andrew.ryan.stubbs@gmail.com
Policy:
I did policy debate in high school and coach policy debate in the Houston Urban Debate League.
Debate how and what you want to debate. With that being said, you have to defend your type of debate if it ends up competing with a different model of debate. It's easier for me to resolve those types of debate if there's nuance or deeper warranting than just "policy debate is entirely bad and turns us into elitist bots" or "K debate is useless... just go to the library and read the philosophy section".
Explicit judge direction is very helpful. I do my best to use what's told to me in the round as the lens to resolve the end of the round.
The better the evidence, the better for everyone. Good evidence comparison will help me resolve disputes easier. Extensions, comparisons, and evidence interaction are only as good as what they're drawing from-- what is highlighted and read. Good cards for counterplans, specific links on disads, solvency advocates... love them.
I like K debates, but my lit base for them is probably not nearly as wide as y'all. Reading great evidence that's explanatory helps and also a deeper overview or more time explaining while extending are good bets.
For theory debates and the standards on topicality, really anything that's heavy on analytics, slow down a bit, warrant out the arguments, and flag what's interacting with what. For theory, I'll default to competing interps, but reasonability with a clear brightline/threshold is something I'm willing to vote on.
The less fully realized an argument hits the flow originally, the more leeway I'm willing to give the later speeches.
PF:
I'm going to vote for the team with the least mitigated link chain into the best weighed impact.
Progressive arguments and speed are fine (differentiate tags and author). I need to know which offense is prioritized and that's not work I can do; it needs to be done by the debaters. I'm receptive to arguments about debate norms and how the way we debate shapes the activity in a positive or negative way.
My three major things are: 1. Warranting is very important. I'm not going to give much weight to an unwarranted claim, especially if there's defense on it. That goes for arguments, frameworks, etc. 2. If it's not on the flow, it can't go on the ballot. I won't do the work extending or impacting your arguments for you. 3. It's not enough to win your argument. I need to know why you winning that argument matters in the bigger context of the round.
Worlds:
Worlds rounds are clash-centered debates on the most reasonable interpretation of the motion.
Style: Clearly present your arguments in an easily understandable way; try not to read cases or arguments word for word from your paper
Content: The more fully realized the argument, the better. Things like giving analysis/incentives for why the actors in your argument behave like you say they do, providing lots of warranting explaining the "why" behind your claims, and providing a diverse, global set of examples will make it much easier for me to vote on your argument.
Strategy: Things that I look for in the strategy part of the round are: is the team consistent down the bench in terms of their path to winning the round, did the team put forward a reasonable interpretation of the motion, did the team correctly identify where the most clash was happening in the round.
Remember to do the comparative. It's not enough that your world is good; it needs to be better than the other team's world.
I am a policy centered cross-x judge. I try to stay tab as much as possible and keep an open mind but I don't have the high-level experience that many other national-level judges have. I flow the speeches and take notes during cross-x. I will look at the doc to get the cites and try to read the evidence between speeches.
When you stop prep time, please be in the process of sending or uploading the speech doc. If you say "stop prep," do not turn around and whisper to your partner. If you are the 1NR and you say "no prep," do not start talking to the 2NC and you should have the doc already uploaded if you have new evidence.
I did not debate in college and I am not well-connected to NDT level trends.
As I get older, cognitively I am a little slower and a more concrete thinker. That being said, my weaknesses are high theory kritiks, performance / identity arguments, kritikal affirmatives, and process counterplan theory.
I have no predispositions against arguments. I actually love innovative arguments like critical philosophy, kritikal affirmatives, and process counterplans but I just lack experience so my decision may be a bit unpredictable. I will defer to an offense-defense paradigm and list the offense that each team is winning and then decide which impact or framework I should choose based on the arguments. I will also try to compare the evidence if needed and use the arguments to compare warrants.
I do my best to get a tight flow but I can't get every word. If you are debating theory, you might want to go 90% of top speed and make sure you are enunciating well. If I can't understand it, I can't flow it, and it won't be on the flow.
Topicality-I like topicality debate but I am looking for examples of cases that the other team would allow. I am looking for specific arguments that you will not be able to run. Saying "limits" and "ground" does not qualify as an extension. You will need at least 2 or 3 sentences to explain what that theory means, give examples of in-round or potential abuse impacts, and warrant out why I should down the team.
Theory-I can flow theory pretty well and I will vote on it. But again, you need to give a 2 or 3 sentence explanation of what the in-round or potential impacts are to your theory and why downing the team is merited. Extending taglines or buzzwords won't be sufficient.
Disadvantages-Make sure they are unique and the links are specific. Do impact calculus and compare the impacts.
Counterplans-I like counterplan debate. I like all types and am open to counterplan theory but just don't go too fast and be specific. "Perm: do both" might not always be sufficient. The affirmative may need to have a perm text that is written out and specific to what the perm does especially in a process round or advantage counterplan round.
Kritiks-Sure but I am not the most up to date on kritiks. I sometimes don't understand really dense theory and philosophy. I do prefer specific and timely links that interact with the assumptions of the case over generic links of omission. Framework debate needs to interact so if you are going for an identity or performance argument, I can't be expected to automatically vote for your framework; there needs to be a clear extension of the in-round and out-round implications of endorsing your specific framework and a comparison with the other teams framework. I do prefer kritiks that are timely and germane to the topic and connect to real-life events.
Case Debate-You probably are going to need this and it needs to specific and recent. There needs to be impact comparison and engagement with the warrants of the evidence.