I did Public Forum for 3 years and am now a debater at Whitworth University!

General things to keep in mind:

1) I can keep up with speed, but be clear on taglines (Spreading ok, but if I don't catch it, it won't go on my flow; so be sure I catch it.)

2) Be respectful in round; I do not mind being assertive in cross etc. but direct insults and other forms of disrespect will result in low speaker points. Do not speak/whisper while your opponents are speaking. Disrespect will result in speaks being docked.

3) No impact = no voter; tell me why your evidence matters. Do not just read cards with no analysis.

I do not flow cross.

Definition and framework debates are not my favorite, so if you debate on fw/def make it worth everyone's time.

You may time yourself, but my time is the official time. If you want hand signals ask, otherwise none will be given.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask me before round starts :)

If you ever have a question on a round that you feel wasn’t answered in rfd and feedback you may email me, and I will hopefully respond in a timely matter. clairebacon06@gmail.com

I really like to read docs, so please include me on chains/send docs: angelocthechef@gmail.com. I flow on paper like a normal person, so give me a little time to switch sheets and signpost often.

While I currently debate at Gonzaga University, I also like to dabble in judging and coaching.

I'm also newer to actual debate than most debaters in the college scene. I did mock legislature for 4 years of high school, and started PNW/CARD debate in 2021.

I have one philosophy as a judge: be cool.

Be cool, collected, and kind during debates. If you're getting red in the face yelling during cross-x for no reason I'll be sad :(

Cool/interesting arguments MAY also make me prefer your side, and give you the benefit of the doubt. Just don't take anything too serious if it doesn't need to be taken as such. (Things like racism, homophobia, transphobia will be taken seriously)

I also really appreciate heavy impact calc, laying out in ground terms why your plan/idea has a superior outcome. I'm also always down with Ks, or anything interesting really, even including sneaky strategies. All I need is for you to explain why I should cast your ballot.

For more complicated K's, framework, and theory, I'll need some heavier baseline explanation.

In terms of judging, I lean more on the traditional communication side of LD. While sophisticated argumentation and philosophy are integral to a strong debate, I think that presentation, speaking style, and polish are equally important. Clarity, enunciation, and strong communication skills can be the deciding factor between two equally-matched competitors.

If you lean towards a more progressive style of LD debate, I fully expect to see your Value and Value Criterion supported and referenced throughout each contention. Because LD is a Value-centric debate, even the most logical, well-supported contentions will be useless without reference to LD framework. This support should be explicitly stated: as with any other aspect of your case or the round as a whole, I will not make arguments or connections on your behalf.

Any drops made in-round should be adequately explained and impacted. It is not enough for you or your opponent to tell me to flow a drop; the significance of each drop must be tied either to your case or your opponent's and logically refuted.

Okay, my paradigm is simple. I love clash. I want to know how your case is different from other people's, especially your opponent.

If I think your evidence is questionable, I might ask to take a look at it before I make my decision.

If you can't think of something to say, REPEAT YOUR POINTS and give me voters. Voters are why I ought to vote for you. What have you proven in your case that affects the entirety of humanity? How does your opponent's case harm the world?

Give me fire and brimstone. I want to see passion! Without the volume, however. Be courteous to your opponent.

CX

I LOVE CX. But I will not flow CX unless you bring it up in your speech. Ask important questions! Try to dominate CX, appearing rude is different than being rude, and I love to see it. Do not attack your opponent's character. Do not look at each other

OVERALL
I want to be on the edge of my seat. Please make this interesting, and good luck!

jdawson4646@gmail.com

I mainly debated policy for four years in highschool. I also did PF at a few tournaments. I went to GDI twice and went to state 3 times.

I am mostly a policy judge but have judged plenty of LD and PF over the years as well.

LD & PF:

Speed is always fine. Make sure that you are respectful to eachother. I have no specific argument preferences. Impact calc is always important. Tell me why your impact matters more/outweighs. Make sure that you cover both your opponents and your own case. Please make sure that if you are making good arguments that you extend them in your following speeches so I can vote on them.

Policy:

Stock issues are voters, T is especially a voter. I thoroughly enjoy K and T debates, and theory is fun.

If there is a theoretical violation, my threshold for voting on it will probably be pretty low. During theory debates, for the love of God, don't spread through every standard in 4 seconds.

I dislike almost all colonialization debates and colonization K's...

Don't run a counter plan unless you can do it right.

Make sure that you are extending arguments and cards.

When in doubt, do impact calc/outweigh work. It's always nice when I have an easy and clear way to vote.

A drop is a concession

I do not flow new arguments in rebuttals (very rare exceptions)

I allow tag team cross ex and flashing doesn't count as prep. I am a flow judge, so responding to arguments and offense is very important

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.

I am okay with some speed while speaking, but you have to be able to enunciate and be clear when speaking.

When looking at the round I will be referencing the flow and looking for where you are carrying your arguments through while attacking the opponents case. In the debate it is important that you are clear in your argument and your attacks and explaining why it matters to the round, don't just say flow through that's not a reason for it to count on the flow.

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.

I was a four-year high school debater. I competed at every level of Washington debate from novice to the state tournament. I want to see clash on both sides of the debate. I'd call myself a partial flow judge. The flow isn't the only thing I judge on, but it is a big part of a PUFO debate. From a judge's standpoint, I will assume anything with cited evidence is true until proven otherwise by the opposing team. If information is left unrefuted then it is therefore true. I don't mind spreading, but if your words are indecipherable they will not be flowed or weighed in the debate.

Signpost, articulate your card names, and everything will work out. Clash is good; T, Ks, etc. are fine. I rely on my flow, and 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.

Congress:

-make your argument unique and with your own style. I do welcome amendments and having a chamber that is formal and that follows the NSDA Congress rules is what I like in a congressional chamber. your speech should not be that of which it re-iterates other speeches on the topic, I enjoy new ideas to discuss in a chamber. also, remember to have fun!

This is my first debate season as a judge, so far judging 2 open rounds.

I prefer speaking no faster than a fast conversational pace. No spreading. Technical jargon, especially around values and criterion, should be adequately defined so that I can tell if your case meets them.

I flow constructives and rebuttals. Cross-ex is for your information and I do not take notes during cross-ex.

I value strong logical arguments over style. You must draw connections between your contentions, impacts, and value criterion, and directly rebut your opponents points in a convincing way. Must maintain consistency throughout arguments.

Of course expect professional conduct, address judge during speeches, emotion during speeches is fine to a point.

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

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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

• 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.

• 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.

• Thanks for accommodating me and good luck.

For PF

• If you use a framework, make sure your contentions support it.

• 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.

• 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! :-)

I'm a flow judge so I'm going to vote based on what was said in the round. This means be explicitly clear as to why you are winning the round, not just the individual arguments (WEIGH). How should I be viewing the round and what is the most important ballot issues.

If an argument is dropped, I'll flow it for you, but just saying it was dropped is not a winning voter. You need to tell me why that argument is explicitly winning relative to whats happening in the rest of the round (true for any argument really).

Feel free to ask any specific questions you may have.

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.

Olathe Northwest '22 and current debater at Gonzaga University.

If you have questions about anything, email me at kaelyn.a.w@gmail.com.

General:

I will NEVER vote for ableism/sexism/racism/homophobia good or anything similar, and will vote you down the second I hear it. Do what you're most comfortable with, I would much rather see you perform at your best than try to adapt to me.

Disadvantages:

I think DAs are one of your best take outs on the aff's case. I'm fine with general DAs but if they aren't specific to the case you should have good evidence that clearly outlines the link. I will vote on pretty much any DA impact as long as you compare it to the affs and explain why yours is better and have the evidence to back it up.

Counterplans:

Counterplans should be competitive with the aff. Have a clear understanding of the perms and be able to defend how they are not viable options. If I believe that the CP can be permed I will not vote on it. (if you are aff pointing out logical flaws in the cp is a good way for me to flow it to you). If you are running DAs and a CP together, PLEASE pick a CP that doesn't link to the DAs. As long as you can convince me that the CP is better than the aff I may vote on it.

Topicality:

I fucking love T. IMO the interpretation is an internal link to accessing the impacts of the standards so I most usually default to competing interpretations. I'm sympathetic to fun ways of arguing t such as it being an RVI, so if you understand those args and can defend them I say go for it.

Kritiks:

God I love Kritiks. I frequently run them myself and am familiar with most of the literature behind common ones (Cap, Biopolitics, Critical Disability Studies, etc). I know the general concepts for others like Baudrillard but am not well versed so as a general rule make sure you have clear explanations. Your K should have a clear link to the aff, and I probably won't vote for it if there isn't one. I prefer functional alts, but have no problem with voting for the K as an independent DA if you choose to kick the alt. I find K debates super fun and interesting, so it may be a good choice if you're on the neg.

Framing:

FRAMING. FRAMING. FRAMING. Explain to me why your impact matters!!! This is key for both sides of the debate. If I believe the entirety of the aff and neg arguments because no real clash has taken place then it comes down to whoever has done the better job of showing why their impact is the most important.

Theory:

Don't run it if it's not warranted. I'm not a huge fan of voting on theory, but if the round comes down to it I will vote on it.