Thomas S Foley TOC NITOC Bid Memorial Tournament
2024 — Spokane Valley, WA/US
LD Paradigm List
All Paradigms: Show HideTraditional LD. Contentions are secondary to the framework debate.
How I analyze the rounds:
First, debate quality as the first consideration (which is typically a wash in upper level open, unless there is a solid framework debate to consider).
Second, framework analysis for internal consistency using my own knowledge and experience as a philosophy professor. If the framework is internally flawed, you will lose. A consistent framework that I find detestable will not be penalized.
Third, anything else, nitpicky things, clear falsities (particularly ones that are foundational to the arguments).
For LD competitors I am looking for the most convincing arguments.
I have participated as a judge for several years but do not have a technical debate background or experience. That said, I do not always track everything on the flow point for point.
Instead, I am looking for coherent arguments that can stand on their own, while also addressing the arguments of your competitor. The winner in my eyes will be the person who does this most effectively.
Arguments should be delivered slowly with emphasis on communication delivery. Arguments may be grouped in order to address all of them. A few well-developed arguments prove more persuasive than a larger quantity of arguments. Rebuttals should provide voters to address the important issues advanced in constructive speeches. Debaters should time themselves so they can stay in the allotted time. Clash should be done civilly, please never attack your opponent. Remember it is your job to convince me to be on your side. Evidence should be cited, arguments/evidence should extend the v/c, and signpost – make it easy for me to follow. Let me know you are going off case - be sure your very clear in your delivery - slow down and make sure I'm understanding your case.
I have over a decade judging debate and four years of debating LD and Policy. While I understand the sport aspects of debate currently in play my judging still relies on proper analysis and links, a strong understanding of the theories you present and your ability to frame the information you are using into a coherent meta-narrative. With a background in applied ethics I do consider myself more of a traditional judge and value an understanding of the philosophy at play.
I consider myself a traditionalist. Lincoln-Douglas debate was created for a reason. The intent of debate is to facilitate communication, therefore use of speed should not be the emphasis in this activity. A good litmus test is the following...would Abraham Lincoln have used spread during his debate with Stephen Douglas? No? Then you probably shouldn't either. Exchange of ideas, discussion of which value is superior, respect and civility should be of paramount importance. Analysis and organization is extremely important. The debater in front of me should explain why their analysis is superior and why their value defeats the opposition.
As I noted above, the intent of debate is to facilitate communication. Speakers need to remember, and this is extremely important, that communication is not only about speaking, but it is also about listening. I have seen it happen more times than I can count, that your opponent will give you information to flip against them in the round, and that flip is not utilized. The tough part is identifying that information. Do not be constrained by what is obvious, meaning do not be afraid to ask "what if". Lateral thinking therefore, is incredibly important to consider.
Further, I consider myself a pragmatist. Originally, Lincoln-Douglas debate was designed as a values-oriented platform. This has evolved into a policy-values hybrid so while I will look at a round from a purely values perspective, the values and values criteria have become more of a means/end assertion. The use of real world links and impacts should support your decision. If you are able to demonstrate why your real world analysis/evidence supports your values/values criteria and you set that parameter up front, I will strongly consider that as a voter. I would however note the following:: the links to your impacts are absolutely critical to establish in the round. Off time roadmaps are also important. Organization is absolutely critical. It is your responsibility to tell me where you are on the flow.
Impact calculus is one of the major concepts I will weigh in your round. That is an incredibly huge point to remember where I am concerned as a judge. However, it is important to consider the nature of the impact. This is where the aforementioned links come into play. Of further note, since LD has become a hybrid, I buy off on solvency being an issue as a means to justify the resolution. Those of you who have had me before as a judge know why that statement alone can determine an entire round. In short, back to the point on the "what if" issue I broached earlier, that would be a very good place to start.
I also look at framework. If you are going to run something out of the norm...i.e. counterplan, Rights Malthus, general breakdown of society, etc., you need to make sure your links are airtight, otherwise I will not consider your impact. The two would operate separate of each other if there is no link.
I started my involvement in LD in 1982, I also debated policy from 1980 to 1982, competed in speech from 1980 to 1984, and competed at the college level in the CEDA format in 1985 and from 1988 to 1990, and have been judging since 2014 in the Spokane, WA area. I also judged policy in the Chicago, IL area in the early 1990"s.
A couple of administrative notes. Eye contact is really important if for no other reason, to see how much time you have left. One of my biggest pet peeves is cutting off your opponent during CX. I have no problem annotating that you did so on your ballot so your coach can discuss the matter with you after the tournament. Civility and decorum are important, and I can surmise several of you have had this happen to you. I also do not have a problem with you timing yourself or sharing evidence, provided it does not detract from the overall use of time in the round.
Finally, it is extremely important to remember....this activity can be fun and it will help you in ways you can't even imagine later down the road. Everyone at this tournament, whether they are coaches, judges, your peers, etc...started as a novice. Bad rounds happen. They are a part of the landscape that is debate. This teaches an important life lesson. How do you bounce back from adversity? How do you apply what you have learned to make things better next time?
Remember that the case/argumentation you start off with at the beginning of the semester, will not be what you end up with at the end, provided you do a self assessment at the end of each round. Ask yourself what was supposed to happen. What did happen? What three things went well for you. What three things happened to you that are opportunities for improvement. If you are consistently applying these criteria, and using your coaches/opponents/peers as resources, by default your weaknesses will get shored up. Incidentally, this is a really good life skill as well and can be applied in the real world. Good luck to you going forward!
I did LD for 4 years, there isn’t much that you could throw at me that I couldn’t understand.
If you spread, be clear and tag well or I won’t be able to follow along as well and that might cost you the round if I didn’t hear an argument.
Framework is as important as you make it, if both fall though I will judge based on contentions left standing and how they counter each other. Be civil and have fun. And please impact
If you spread please give me a heads up and if its of the nat quality speed I would prefer you flash me a copy before beginning so I can make sure to follow along properly :)
(I do prefer progressive debate, but debate the way you do best)
I am a flow judge who will judge a round based on how what you tell me to put down on the flow (i.e. what you say in the round). If the flow shows that the debate was about even I will go on to judge the round based off of the arguments made and how well they were refuted by both sides. I am open to all kinds of style when it comes to LD, whether it be progressive or conservative; while I would prefer conservative I won't count going progressive against you as long as it isn't too crazy. I am okay with spreading but it can't be full-on policy spreading and it has to be clear and concise. Also, in terms of judging based off of what was on the flow and the arguments themselves, first among equals in terms of what is being talked about should be the value and criterion, otherwise the debate turns into a version of policy or public forum depending on your style. I will reiterate this in round, but make sure to talk about your value and criterion, I...CAN...NOT...STRESS...THIS...ENOUGH! If I look at the flow and I see that your opponent has talked about his value and criterion and how they are better than yours and so on and so forth, and I see that you didn't do that, you probably aren't gonna win the debate. By that I mean you have a 99% chance of not winning the debate. Best of luck to all tomorrow, can't wait to see ya there!
Spencer Gilbert
P.S. I have done all forms of debate and I did debate for 4 years in high school, so i know what I am doing and I do have experience.
Hello!
I have years of debate experience in policy/LD/PF/congress etc. and am currently a member of the forensics team at Whitworth University. I appreciate traditional styles of debating and value kindness between competitors (for example...don’t talk to your partner during someone else’s speech). I will be flowing so please use sign-posting to your advantage!
If you work a your mom joke into a speech you get +1 speaker points
I am a 4 year debater with LD being my primary focus. I am comfortable with any argument you wish to run, but be prepared to defend it. When I look at the round I like to look at the round through the lenses of the value and value criterion and then look at the voters that may be present. Please signpost where you are in the flow, it makes it easier to follow you and if I can’t get it down or get it down in the wrong spot it doesn’t end well for you. I don’t flow crossx but if there is something in there you wish to bring up I will flow it.
im not super big on speed, but I can sorta deal with it. If something is dropped don’t just say oh it’s dropped, impact it and show me the significance of that drop.
Winning my ballot comes down to a few things.
First and foremost this is a game. While I understand doing everything possible to try and win rounds, insensitive/hateful comments or actions towards your opponents or anyone for that matter are not tolerated. They don't contribute to the case and if necessary I have no problem getting tab involved.
To get more into the specifics for LD...
I prefer traditional LD debate. Progressive is fine but I believe that Value/Value Criterion are key pillars in the LD format and that additional level of moral debate is what makes LD different from the other forms. Ultimately, the more work you put into debate the more you can expect to get out of it. Most of the time, the debater that has done more research on the topic will come out on top.
For debate in general...
If a framework is brought up and defended that will be used as the weighing mechanism for the round. Flow is important and typical NSDA rules as far as dropping and new arguments apply to my flow/judging. Anything that has evidence can be ran, I will flow any argument as long as it is well supported (no matter how crazy the idea may sound). At the end of the day my vote should match any reasonable person in the same position. Winning should never come down to a coin toss or a personal preference, simply argumentation. That win should be apparent even if it is not the outcome wanted. Remember debating has nothing to do with convincing your opponent that they are wrong and everything to do with convincing the judge that you are right.
** Please try your best to avoid suicide related topics. If you have anything you need to run to win the round at least give me a trigger warning **
Signpost, articulate your card names, and everything will work out. Clash is good; T, Ks, etc. are fine. I’m reasonably competent at flowing. You can spread.
I’m not very particular on style or structure (as you may notice from my punctuation): this is your round, and I am here to occupy the position of judge according to the whims of tab.
Run whatever you want, and have fun! I am more interested in what you think is an interesting argument than I am in being catered to on a stylistic level.
My name is Julene Osborn, I am a debate parent and started judging in the 2022-2023 school year. I have been given advice and explanations from people who are experienced in the debate realm, so I understand a good amount of terminology and rules.
I prefer a round that is clear and easy to understand. Because of this, I would prefer that you do not spread or talk too quickly, as this makes it harder to understand what you are trying to say. Furthermore, I feel that a truly good debater should be able to get in the information and arguments that they need to win without having to speed through them. Another thing that helps to add clarity is always sign posting and giving road maps. These help me know exactly where you are and what you are talking about.
If there are any terms or acronyms that you feel may needed to be explained, then please explain them. A good round should be understood by everyone, both judges and debaters.
Please be kind and courteous to your opponents in round. Remember, you are trying to persuade me, not attack each other. Often times people will forget that they are trying to persuade their judge and try to convince their opponents rather than me. Do not forget that I am the one you need to convince.
I'm a parent judge who has been judging nearly every tournament for 6 years for my kids.
No Swearing.
No spreading. I can't understand it, and if I can't understand you, I can't judge you and that's sad.
Sign post. If you don't sign post then I get to guess where what you say applies and you don't want me to do that. I often don't guess correctly.
Provide impact(s). Tell me why what you said is important. It should not be a restatement of your contention.
Don't make me think for myself. Please tell me how to think, how to judge and how to apply your arguments. Otherwise I have to use my own bias to draw the lines, no one wants this. Not even me. I will take the path of least resistance to a ballot. If one is better explained, I will go with that one. Make sure your case is well-explained.
For CX
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Use 5th grader terms. While I am aware of Ks, T args, perms and the like, my knowledge comes from their use in LD, so my depth is lacking. If you accidently use a term in round please explain it.
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Seriously, please don't spread. I'm sorry. I will say out loud "clear" if you are going too fast. Most likely, you are going too fast. I'm sorry. Slow down on taglines, contention names, and other very important issues...like your case. I'm sorry.
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I think linearly, so don't rely on my ability to multi-thread thoughts in order to get through your links to your impacts. Keep it simple OR clearly connect it for me. If it is muddy or I don't get it, I will not vote on it. Your job is to explain your case to me in a way that I can vote and understand it. In other words, I am a flow judge.
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If you "kick" something, please tell me the tagline or contention or argument name and instead say We or I am dropping this. If not, once again, I will guess what you dropped, and that could be really bad.
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My favorite cases are ones that outline their case, support it with evidence, explain the evidence and tell me what and why I am voting for them. Contentions - Impacts - Voters
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If you change the role of the ballot, tell me what triggered it, why it is more important than the resolution and what the new role is. I will then be able to decide if I want to use your new ballot, or if your arugment is lacking I will keep the current one. This must be a rock solid argument and trigger for the new role.
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I will go wherever you take me. I am happy to entertain any debates backed by evidence and a clear train of thought. Nuclear war, extinction, fascism, and all the things are on the table. But please argue them with tact and warrants and clearly show me how we will get there. If you can do this, I am willing to judge it and weigh it in the round.
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Thanks for accommodating me and good luck.
For PF
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If you use a framework, make sure your contentions support it.
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If your opponent uses a framework and you don't want to be judged under that framework, state so in your constructive speech. It can be as simple as "I reject my oppenent's framework". Otherwise, I'll assume that you accept it. Note that a framework is not needed in PF.
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Final focus should be your voters. Tell me why I should vote for your side
For LD
I expect a traditional LD debate on moral grounds tied to a value and seen through the lens of your value criterion. Make sure all of your contentions support that value/value criterion.
I like a clear case with well defined arguments. I am an Industrial Automation Engineer who designs autonomous machinery. Give me facts and data to judge by. No fear mongering. Emotional arguments will not impress me.
ALL EVENTS: I WILL NOT VOTE ON ANYTHING RACIST, SEXIST, HOMOPHOBIC, OR ANY OTHER HATE SPEECH. Please do not use speech and debate as a platform to spread any type of hatred. You will not win my vote.
This is my sixth year judging. Past Asst. Coach at Middle School for Public Forum. Asst. Coach at Gonzaga Prep High School. I debated in High School. I have one child in LD.
DEBATE:
I am happy to go where ever you case leads me as long as it makes sense and is backed up by evidence. I like the clash, but keep it polite. My biggest pet peeve is poor sports-person-ship. I do not mind if you take control of your cross-ex. Argue your points, and refute your opponents. Back up with facts, quotes, stats. Use impacts and YOUR VALUE!!! Use your VC as a weighing mechanism. I am a flow judge and follow my flow and arguments made there. I am a tech over truth judge. Lead me through your evidence and tell me how to vote. I will take the path of least resistance to a ballot. Don't make me guess or make my own conclusions, as they may not match what you are presenting. In other words, impacts and voters.
Slow down on tags and contention tags. If it is critical to your case, slow down for that portion and taglines. Enunciation is key for me to understand your case. If I am trying to figure out what you said, I miss your case. Spreading is an art form that has guidelines, breathing patterns, and rhythm. Don't confuse talking fast with spreading, they are two different things. If I cannot flow it, I do not judge it. If I stop typing, you know I am not getting it.
I do not judge on cross-ex. I will flow it, because I have the memory of a goldfish, and if you bring it back into round, I want to have notes on it. But if you do not bring it into round, it flies away and never comes back again. If it is a good point, don't let that happen.
IEs:
I will count stutters/missteps and crutch words. If a round is close I will rank off who has less. Tone/Infection are important during any speech, use them. Work on not yelling to show all emotions in any speech. Anger/Sadness has many faces, explore these to rank higher. Those who have their presentation memorized will rank higher than those who do not.
Informative: You got to pick your topic. Make it FUN and INTERESTING to me. Show me your passion and excitement about the subject. Be a human in your speech, not a robot. Please do this by making jokes, puns, or using conversational speech to keep me hooked. Pieces with good transitions, hooks, and conclusions rank higher.
Impromptu: I look for a framework. If you set a framework for your piece, I expect you to follow it. You don't have to have 3 points if you have a strong speech with 2.
Have fun and good luck! :-)
Price: $4.99 adjusted for inflation
Thanks for debating and reading my paradigm.
4 years LD experience in HS, not real versed in progressive debate theory or format. Flow judge.
-As a judge, I want to hear everything you have to say. To weigh your arguments to the fullest, I need to be able to understand what you're saying. I have a hard time keeping up with significant speed and the resulting lack of clarity. When reading your case, you already know what it says and so it's easy to get the words out quickly. When listening to your case, it will be new to me and will take more time to digest the words you're saying and take notes. Please be aware that if you go too far past a conversational pace, I may miss important parts of your case and that could impact the round. I will say slow and clear a few times if need be. Totally understand in a 3-judge panel situation if you want to disregard to play to the other judges, but I will have a hard time. Realizing I may sound like an old fogey saying this, but personally I think some of the best rounds are the ones where a totally lay person could reasonably follow the arguments being made because they are being explained well and in an accessible way.
-I think mutual respect and good faith debating make for good rounds. It's totally cool to play to win, be direct and assertive, but no need to be impolite in the way that we go about it. We are all friends here, ideally.
-Please stay humble in cx and utilize it to the best of your ability. Pointed questions are good, but try not to force an unnecessary yes or no answer to get ammo for your argument. I never liked being told to only answer yes or no and you probably don't either. I think the main function of CX needs to be clarifying your opponent's position so you can respond accordingly and accurately. In that vein, when your opponent sufficiently answers your question, feel free to move on to the next. Feel free to ask to see your opponent's case during CX or during your prep time. Also, CX questions and answers should be directed at the judge instead of directly at/facing each other.
-*Signposting as you go*, roadmaps, down the flow/ line by line speeches, anything to keep the debate flow organized is much appreciated. It helps so much when you are very clear about which side of the flow you're on and which numbered point you're responding to. This will really help me stay with you and flow all your arguments into the places you want them. At the end of most rounds I look at my flow, prioritize the framework arguments, and then apply those frameworks to the contention level debate. If impact calculus wasn't already provided or is contested, I'll look to see which points I felt went to each side and do my best to weigh them up on the whole.
-If you want an argument cross applied or it addresses multiple parts of a case and the way it does so isn't immediately apparent, please explain.
-If your opponents drops/doesn't sufficiently respond to a significant point, feel free to argue that it's conceded in the round and apply that argument/ impacts to the debate. That said, there are instances where it wouldn't be fair to vote on or heavily weigh some tiny argument that wasn't directly addressed. If a case is structured well imo, there's a few main points to focus on and not a laundry list. No hate on the homies running 15 contentions but it's tough to flow and time runs short.
-Progressive arguments are cool, but please accommodate both me and your opponent in terms of speed and accessibility. Please know that I don't have a solid knowledge of specific progressive structure or lingo. That said, outside the box cases which aren't built on speed/jargon but rather view the resolution or the debate in a different light are v fun as long as they can interact with the opposing case in a meaningful way.
-I love a nice synergy between the value and criterion. Especially where the value is the goal or moral standard and the criterion is the lens for how we know we're achieving that goal. Please note: it is difficult to evaluate a framework argument such as "justice is needed for safety", because the same could be said in reverse. Please explain how or why you believe that the frameworks differ (if they do) and why one is better/ more useful/ of higher moral quality than the other.
-All your time is your time, so please don't feel bad if you want to use it to collect your thoughts, breathe, consult your flow, make notes, etc. Taking a few seconds to collect your thoughts and think it out if you need to usually doesn't hurt. I believe it's in your interest to take advantage of all your prep time, and any down time in cx even if you don't have more questions. However you feel comfortable presenting is good, I don't bother too much with needing to stand for speeches or how much eye contact you have (even though at least some is nice :D). You won't get less than 25 speaks unless there are major issues or inappropriate behavior.
-Impacts: a good impact has clear evidence showing how and why it happens, the scale and time frame of the impact, etc. I know you know this but claiming something will or won't happen is not the same as providing evidence to demonstrate.
Thanks for reading, and feel free to ask me any more questions you have before the round. Good luck and have fun!
Hi!
I did Speech and Debate in High School and am now competing at the Collegiate level for Whitworth University. I have competed in Poicy, PF, Congress and now IPDA (extemporaneous debate). I also competed in mostly platform speeches with some experience in Extemp. For debate my most important thing is that you sign post and are very clear when responding to and making arguments. The other big factor for me is pacing and eye contact. I know it can be hard but try to make eye contact with your judge when speaking. In cross be kind, but also don't be afraid to be assertive and be in control when it is your time.
For speech, if your event requires memorization please try to be as memorized as possible. Try to look at the judge as well as your audience equally. Remember to enjoy yourself and be confident.
For both speech and debate, have fun!! I am in your shoes still and I know the stress, but remember that speech and debate is about having fun as well!
I believe in fair and respectful discourse. During debate rounds all speaking should be directed towards me. I base my determinations on who has the better arguments/cases and on who flows the most impacts through the round.