she/her

Marcus '20

StMU ‘24

Email: cynthiamd147@gmail.com (I don't look at the doc during the debate, but I like to have it if I need them).

I debated LD for 4 years and I have a little experience competing in Congress, Extemp, and World Schools.

For all events clarity is extremely important to me, for example, you would be better off with 4 sources stated clearly than 10 that don't come across clearly. With that, I prefer fewer well thought out arguments over tons of half-baked ideas.

I don't love spreading, especially if you have to gasp for air the whole time, it takes away from what you are saying and distracts from the content of your speech.

I don't really want to limit too much as far as content goes because I feel that is unfair to the competitors, that said, I am mainly a PF judge so in other events I may not love something like a K for policy or running a theory heavy case or something like that.

As a former female debater, I know judges often mark down women for sounding 'shrill' or 'aggressive'. While abuse will never be tolerated, neither will sexism against powerful/confident women, and speaker points will reflect that :)

I’m fine with progressive or traditional arguments. Don’t like Theory so if you run it run it well. One rule: Don’t be rude in the round or I will vote you down.

Who am I?

Hi, my name is Reagan! I graduated from Carroll Senior High School in 2019. I did 6 years of Public Forum on the national, state, and local circuits, participated in WSD my senior year at the state and national/international level, and have dabbled in Prose, Informative Speaking (TOC bid), Extemp, and basically everything else at least once!

I am currently a senior at George Mason University majoring in Government and International Politics :) You can reach me at reagan.larimer@gmail.com if you have any questions or want specific feedback! Good luck!

Public Forum

I am a mostly flow judge. I value clear framing, explicit impact weighing, and smart link chains. Ideally, I should not have to intervene at all when filling out my ballot. I will flow any argument you run and I am ok with speed. If you have specific paradigm questions, please ask.

World Schools

I’m not going to dock anyone for formatting (principle/practical, how many substantives, etc). For style, I will award points based on delivery and speaking quality. For content, I will award points based on the quality of arguments and how they are explained through the round. For strategy, I will award points based on the clash, framing, and POIs. I care more about the integrity of your arguments than norms. It's about the debate.

A Warning

Respect me, your opponents, the tournament, and any groups of people that may come up during the round. Be homophobic, racist, sexist, ableist, xenophobic, or otherwise toxic and I’ll call you out. Do it again and I won't hesitate to tank your speaks, drop you, stop the round, and talk to your coach/school/the tournament officials about it.

I am a traditional judge. I want to understand what you say. Diction, pace, volume are part of the presentation. Being a professional also means you look and act the part of a professional! I want to see sportsmanship and grace. I also want to see you enjoying yourself.

Debaters, you must make quality points not necessarily quantity points. Remember, it needs to have facts backed up. You have been researching these points for months, use your research to support your views. Use the research to turn your opponents arguments your way when you can.

The purpose of debate is to persuade and sway an argument. This is done with facts and logic. Know your stuff! Debaters need to make logical arguments that are easy to follow. Good debaters should be GREAT listeners and are always respectfully listening to the opposition in order to counter their points.

Debaters should not use progressive arguments and should not spread. I promise it will not be rewarded in my rounds.

In Speech rounds, make me FEEL it. Show me that your really understand the piece and character(s). Use your voice and inflection as well as your facial and physical traits to bring the piece to life. If it is funny, make me laugh. If it is sad, make me cry. When you pantomime hit all the positions right on and make sure to use the same actions over again and again, don't get sloppy as the piece continues. Stay in character all the way through. When "switching" characters, make sure you really distinguish the personalities. Have fun..... Good Luck!

Thank You!