Debated policy four years for Des Moines Roosevelt: I really like the activity of policy debate and will be sad if someone argues that debate is bad.

First three years I defended the USFG. Final year I said screw that I've learned enough of that and want more education so I shifted to a kritikal DnG aff.

What I think in general as a judge:

Judge intervention is bad. Run what you want how you want and be prepared to defend it.

Kritikal debate is probably good for policy debate.

Policy debate is probably good for policy debate.

Fiat can be good or bad, that's a debate to be had.

You can do "tag team" cross ex.. but strategically it's better one person asks questions and the other uses CX time for prep.

Kritikal debate is not owned solely by the negative: you can run your K affs and win in front of me. But this is the Education topic, and if you begin the 1AC urging me to wake up from the matrix and chase bunnies down rabbit holes I will be amused but not impressed (and likely not persuaded). As long as your K aff has to do with Education then we're good, and on framework I'll vote for whoever wins the line by line.

If your aff is not related to the topic, then the neg should be able to run 8 minutes of framework and win in front of me, unless the neg just absolutely botches the framework flow somehow.

Your best evidence is always the opponent's evidence. Example: Their card says building space elevators would solve all these different problems, but in the unhighlighted section it also says it will cost 2 trillion dollars and is unfeasible. If you can point out situations like this, you will likely win that argument.

For younger teams: Okay so the other team dropped an argument.... Aight but you still have to explain to me what the argument is and why it's relevant to the debate. DO NOT JUST REPEAT THE PHRASE THEY DROPPED IT THEY DROPPED IT. If the aff drops T and you just say they dropped T without explaining your T shell I won't vote on it.

Arguments that you can win on but will probably cost you a few decimal points when it comes to speaks

A (or any other letter)SPEC

Spending DA

Death Good

Trump Good

The K I've never heard before and don't understand what it is at the end of the round.

Arguments that you can lose with but will probably gain you a few decimal points:

Cap K

Perm advocacy (aka discoing)

Deleuze

Ableism

The K I've never heard of before and explained well

Case Specific DAs/CPs

Show that you are passionate about the activity and I'll increase your speaks. Show me the love, not hate (anger for the other team, loud yelling, etc)

I'll keep track of everyone's time. I'm chill. No prep for flashing. But prep stealing that I see may impact speaks.

Anna Correa (she/her)

Hi there!

I debated LD for 3 years and PF for 1 year at Valley High School (2014-2018) and coached PF and some LD at Iowa City West last year (2018-2019).

In general:

- I'll vote for most arguments so long as it is supported and impacted appropriately. That being said, respect and human decency are important, so keep that in mind.

- Impacts are important. Your args and warrants mean nothing if you don't tell us why it matters or what it means for the way I'm supposed to vote.

- Debate is about debating, not listening to the sound of your own voice (that's for us coaches and judges to do lol). Regardless of your debate style or what kinds of args you're debating against, be sure to actually engage with your opponents. Don't talk over the substance of the round. Dig into the clash. We love to see it.

- Speak as quickly or slowly as you'd like. Whatever speed you choose, make sure you're speaking clearly. If asked to slow down, please do.

- I'm all about giving feedback and helping newer improve in their debating skill, so I'll give comments at the end of every round.

- If you have additional questions about my paradigm or after a round, please let me know!

LD

- I was mostly a phil framework debater, and I'm most familiar with that style/literature but will listen to anything. Whatever style you choose, tell me how to evaluate the round, whether a standard or ROB or otherwise. Make sure you explain all things clearly though because I won't use my own knowledge to fill in the gaps in your arguments.

- Go at whatever speed you want and can clearly speak. Slow down for important taglines or author names. I'll say clear or slow several times if necessary.

- Theory/T: slow down on interp language. tell me everything I need to know. Don't leave me to default on things like drop the arg vs debater, etc.

- All args you want to be evaluated should be brought up in each speech. Even if it's conceded, at least mention it in subsequent speeches, so I flow it through. I won't flow args that are new in the 2.

PF

- Persuasion is more important in PF than LD, but I'm still a flow-based judge. This means that args need to be pulled through the entirety of the round to be considered in my final decision.

- Non-empirical or "qualitative" args are totally fine, but you still need warrants of some sort and a reason it outweighs more easily quantified data.

- Crystallization and condensing in later speeches can be a smart strategy. Be intentional with the args you choose to spend time on as speeches get shorter.

- Weigh your args against your opponents' and impact your args to tell me why they matter. Tell me why your evidence and impacts mean you should win the round.

- I base PF speaks more on speaking style (but still strategy and overall approach) than I do for LD.

Policy

- I never debated policy but have judged some policy rounds at a state/regional level.

- Please include me on email chains, but keep in mind that this isn't a cure-all for my lack of policy experience.

- Don't assume I know anything about the topic or lit (because I probably don't).

- Be especially clear with T/theory interps, complex Ks, and CPs.

- I'll evaluate almost anything that is warranted, impacted, explained, and argued well.

- At the end of each speech, spend a few seconds summarizing your speech and telling me why you're winning.

- Clearly delineate offs as I should evaluate them, especially when a round includes a lot of layers.

PF:

TLDR:

Weigh

Please do not give me a line-by-line in Final Focus. If possible, I don't want it in summary. Write my RFD for me in summary and FF.

Signpost.

Please collapse. Good extensions and weighing requires this.

If you don't read warrant names in summary and FF, you probably will not win the round. The team that makes the best and most strategic extensions almost always wins, and dropping warrants irretrievably weakens your offense.

Don't extend offense that your opponent kicked unless you're extending a turn on it.

Cross-applications and grouped responses in rebuttal, when used sparingly and handily, can be useful.

I don't need a roadmap for expected strategies (ex. no need for "it's gonna be their case, then my case")

You are free to collapse grand cross if you'd like.

If it takes longer than one minute to find a (singular) card that is called for, prep starts.

#

(heavily drawing from the brilliant Mollie Clark throughout)

The Rebuttal
For both teams, I like to see layered responses and very clear road-mapping, when necessary, and sign-posting. The refutations should cover both the entire contention and also examine specific warrants and impacts, with weighing at these levels when possible. Frontlining defense seems to be the new standard, and I think that that's a good strategy. Extend framework if you want me to use it in order to weigh in the summary and final focus. I love a good overview. I loathe a bad overview.

Extensions
It’s important to note that to get an argument through to the final focus the team must extend the claim, warrant, and impact. If a single piece is missing, then it significantly weakens the point’s weight in the round. If an argument is dropped at any time, it will not be extended and you’d be better off spending your time elsewhere. WARRANT AND IMPACT EXTENSIONS ARE WHAT MOST LIKELY WILL WIN YOU THE ROUND. Extensions are the backbones of debate, a high-level debater should be able to allocate time and extend their offense and defense effectively. You will not have time to extend everything, and attempting to do so shows a major deficit in your ability to discern the central and successful arguments in the debate. Part of the challenge of this activity is making smart decisions about what to extend and what to drop on the the fly.

Speed and Speaking
I tend not to penalize speed with speaker points. I do penalize for incomprehensibility. Make sure you enunciate and are clear so that your opponent can understand you. Efficiency, eloquence, extensions, and strategy in later speeches will define your speaks. Basically, go as fast as you want so long as you're clear. Lack of clarity welcomes penalty.
I like to see strong engagement of the issues in CX and appreciate a deeper analysis than simple clarifying questions. Issues in CX will not be weighed in the round unless brought up in a following speech. CX is not binding, but speakers may use concessions in CX as offense in subsequent speeches. I say CX is not binding to encourage an earnest conversation in CX, rather than constantly defensive, abrasive, or self-conscious exchanges. I will, however, nonetheless take a good response to offense brought in from cross by the opposing speakers seriously if they contextualize that concession and produce sound analysis that supports them.
Organization through all speeches is essential, and is especially paramount in summary. Make sure I know exactly where you are so that I can help you get as much ink on the flow as possible.

I tend to give high speaks in general. 28.3-28.5 is a pretty common/average score from me at tournaments that utilize one tenth decimals. I find myself usually giving 28.8-29.1 in strong circuit rounds, though I did come across an array of really remarkable speakers at Yale, Bronx, and Blue Key who scored higher. I will, however, strictly adhere to a points rubric offered by any tournament when provided. This may elevate or deflate my speaker points to an extent. At tournaments that utilized a tradition scale with .5 increments (i.e. Glenbrooks), strong circuit debaters tended to score at 28.5-29.5, with generically good speakers at around 28 and average speakers at 27.

The extra stuff: I studied English @ Columbia, where I spent a lot of reading/writing about poetry and other things, critical theory, and the history of esotericism. I competed in many circuit PF tournaments in high school and judged many in college. I now write about curation, museology, and the poetics of the museum as a Henry Evans Fellow "at" the British Museum, and work in the Capital Markets group at a corporate law firm in New York. This is to say that I may not be extraordinarily studied in the things most directly related to what we're doing in round. But! I have consciousness and subjectivity and am, therefore, more than qualified to be in round. Be thorough in your analysis and don't make assumptions. I'm excited to learn with you + I'm excited to watch you have fun. I want to take every measure to resist elitism/inaccessibility in debate, so let's mitigate it! Please be courteous to your opponents, especially when it seems evident that there is an imbalance in resources/access in and out of round. A normal circuit round is accessible to me, but it may not be for your opponents. Please accommodate + make the round as accessible for your opponents as possible. If it is clear that you are being accommodating and kind, your speaker points will benefit!

LD:

I have a mostly basic knowledge of how this form works, yet I've nonetheless found myself in the position of having to judge 20+ rounds of it. Essentially, my decisions will be better when debaters read their tags somewhat slowly, try to explain things as early and coherently as possible, and order/analyze my decision for me. If you make assumptions about what you think I already know, my decision will likely be worse. Also, shouldn't really need to say this, but you need to impact your arguments and signpost clearly on the flow -- no shockers here. I really like the kinds of conversations that tend to emerge specifically from LD rounds, but you may have to be generous and accommodating about some of the more idiosyncratic qualities of the style.

Specifics:

Speed: If speed is important to your style or strategy, roll with what is necessary for you, but I'd prefer you give me about a 3/10 if you put your speed potential on a spectrum, if that makes sense. Most importantly, I'd really like you to slow down on the following: tag lines, spikes, blips, theory interps, and advocacy texts. Note: I don't want to have to yell clear...like ever, but I might throw it in the chat if I need to (I also might not and then miss a lot on the flow). In general, I'm probably a judge that you need to send a case doc to.

Theory: Honestly, I've always been okay with theory. If it's ridiculous, I'm obviously not going to vote for it. Just be smart.

Framework: Framework debate is critical, usually. If it's important, spend time on this. This debate should also heavily determine how I evaluate the round. Make this clear for me.

Ks: These can end up being pretty neat, but like I said before, don't assume I know anything. Lean toward overexplanation. You are going to have to do substantial work situating the K into the discourse posited by the topic, and superseding your opponent's arguments with the K. I suppose saying something like this would also imply that I think topicality is a somewhat important arena to address if you are a K debater.

But don't get the wrong idea: I am amenable to K debate; probably more than most other judges! I just really want to understand what's being said, which I do think that I have the capacity to do (see above about my study of critical theory).

A note: Be ethical in your practice of K debate. It is going to be hard for me to vote for you if it seems glaring that you are employing K debate as an opportunistic strategy to win rounds. For example, there is no reason for a white debater to be running an afropessimism K.

Value and criterion: What even are these? Why are these? These are probably vestigial to LD, yeah?? Or if they aren't, convince me otherwise?

You will want to pref me if you are reading: Max Weber, Jack Halberstam, Judith Butler, Saidiya Hartman, Fred Moten, Hortense Spillers, Frank Wilderson, or Sylvia Winter.

If I didn't cover something in this paradigm, just ask me in round. I want to be as transparent as possible.

Speaks:

This isn't the important part. Generally, when not given a speaks matrix by the tournament that dictates how I give these, I'm gonna treat every round like it's a bubble round + give speaks based on who should break and who shouldn't. 29-29.5 is a good typical breaking score.

Please be respectful. Respect lends itself to better speaks.

Another note: If you are unhappy with my decision, know that I, unfailingly, vote for whichever debater was most persuasive. Even if you are totally convinced that you have made transcendent, pristine argumentation, clearly some disconnect or error occurred in round that prevent me from, well, achieving transcendence alongside you. This means it is absolutely essential, even if you are the smartest high school debater in the world, to communicate clearly to me. I can't vote on what I don't understand, and it isn't my fault as a judge for being unable to comprehend 20 arguments/minute or some extraordinarily clunky analytic on techno-capitalism etc.

I want to be included on all email chains de2365@columbia.edu

Please send all speech docs to icwestdebate@googlegroups.com. Please also send the speech doc to cooper.john@iowacityschools.org. Please label each email with the round number, the partnership code, and the side. Example: "R1 Duchesne BB AFF v. Iowa City West KE."

Resources

I have compiled some resources to get better at debate here!

TLDR

Always tell me "Prefer my evidence/argument because." Meaningful and intentional extensions of uniqueness + link + internal link + impact (don't forget warrants) in combination with weighing will win you the round. NOTE: I am a PF traditionalist. Spreading will not get you far in rounds with me.

Experience

I attended Theodore Roosevelt High School in Des Moines, Iowa and debated with Ellie Konfrst (Roosevelt GK). I was a two time state champion when competing. I broke at the TOC and placed ninth at NSDA nationals my senior year (2018). I have also coached at NDF the following years: 2018, 2019, 2020. I am currently a 3L law student at the University of Iowa. I am the current varsity PF coach at Iowa City West. I have coached two teams (Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart BB and Iowa City West KE) to qualifying to the gold TOC.

What you should expect of me

It is my obligation to be familiar with the topic. I am also a very emotive judge, if I look confused please break down your argument. It is my obligation to provide for you a clear reason why my ballot was cast and to ensure that you and your coach are able to understand my decision. However, it is not my job to weigh impacts against each other / evaluate competing frameworks. I am always open to discuss the round afterwards.

Flowing

I love off time road maps and they help me flow, please give them! What is on my flow at the end of the round will make my decision for me and I will do my best to make my reasoning clear either on my ballot or orally at the end of the round. If you are organized, clean, clear and extending good argumentation well, you will do well. One thing that I find particularly valuable is having a strong and clear advocacy and a narrative on the flow. This narrative will help you shape responses and create a comparative world that will let you break down and weigh the round in the Final Focus. I also appreciate language that directly relates to the flow (tell me where to put your overview, tell me what to circle, tell me what to cross out).

Extensions

It’s important to note that to get an argument through to the final focus the team must extend the uniqueness+links+impacts. If a single piece is missing, then it significantly weakens the point’s weight in the round. If an argument is dropped at any time, it will not be extended and you’d be better off spending your time elsewhere. Extensions are the backbones of debate, a high-level debater should be able to allocate time and extend their offense and defense effectively.

Framework / Overviews

Framework

If a framework is essential for you to win the round / to your case it should be in constructive. I want to see your intention and round visions early on, squirrel-y argumentation through frameworks muddles the whole round. Only drop the framework if everyone agrees on it. If there is no agreement by summary, win under both.

Overviews

There are two types of overviews in my mind.

1: An overall response to their case.

Good idea.

2: Weighing overviews.

GREAT IDEA

I prefer overviews to be in rebuttal.

The Rebuttal

Extend framework if you want me to use it in order to weigh in the summary and final focus. I also have a soft spot for weighing overviews and usually find them incredibly valuable if done and extended correctly.

If extended and weighed properly, turns are enough to win a round, but if you double turn yourself and muddle the debate you wasted critical time that could have been spent on mitigation/de-linking/non-uniques.

My preference is that the entire first rebuttal is spent on the opponent’s side of the flow. For both teams, I like to see layered responses and very clear road-mapping and sign-posting. The refutations should cover both the entire contention and also examine specific warrants and impacts. The second rebuttal should engage both the opponent’s case as well as the opponent’s responses. Ideally, the time split should be between 3:1 and 2:2.

Summary

I believe the job of the summary speaker (especially for first speaking teams) is the hardest in the round and can easily lose a debate. Extending framework/overviews (if applicable), front lining, and weighing are the three necessary components of any narrative in summary.

Structure:

1. Case extensions (uniqueness, link, internal link, impact)
2. Frontlining
3. Defense/Turn extensions
4. Weighing (this can be put anywhere among the other three above).

Frontlining =/= narrative extension.

Defense in the first summary. Make smart strategic decisions. If the defense is being blown up - or mentioned - in final focus it needs to be in summary.

Final Focus

This should be the exact same as your summary with more weighing and less frontlining. It is okay to extend less arguments if you make up for it with weighing.

Speed

Clarity is critical when speaking quickly. My wpm is about 200, going faster than this is risking an incomplete flow on my ballot. If I miss something because of speed, there was an error in judge adaptation.

Organization through all speeches is essential and especially paramount in summary. Make sure I know exactly where you are so that I can help you get as much ink on the flow as possible. Tell me where to flow overviews otherwise I'll just make a judgement call on where to put it on the flow.

Progressive Arguments

I'm fine with Theory / Ks / role of the ballot though you always should "dumb them down" to language used in PF and you must clearly articulate why there is value in rejecting a traditional approach to the topic. Theory / Ks / role of the ballot will also need to be slowed down in terms of speed. Also, you need to read theory right after the violation happens. If you read it as a spike to throw the other team off, I will not evaluate the argument.

I value teams taking daring strategic decisions (EX: drop case and go fully for turns EX2: non-uniquing / severing contentions to avoid opponents turns) and will reward you smart and effective risk-taking with speaker points. That being said, if you do it poorly I will still drop you.

Cross

I like to see strong engagement of the issues in CX and appreciate a deeper analysis than simple clarifying questions. Please be polite and civil and it is everyone’s responsibility to de-escalate the situation as much as possible when it grows too extreme (some jokes are always preferred). Issues in CX will not be weighed in the round unless brought up in a following speech. Making jokes in grand cross to liven up the debate is always good for your speaker points (but don't be that person who tries too hard please).

Speaking

30: Excellent job, you demonstrate stand-out organizational skills and speaking abilities. Ability to use creative analytical skills and humor to simplify and clarify the round.

29: Very strong ability. Good eloquence, analysis, and organization. A couple minor stumbles or drops.

28: Above average. Good speaking ability. May have made a larger drop or flaw in argumentation but speaking skills compensate. Or, very strong analysis but weaker speaking skills.

27: About average. Ability to function well in the round, however analysis may be lacking. Some errors made.

26: Is struggling to function efficiently within the round. Either lacking speaking skills or analytical skills. May have made a more important error.

25: Having difficulties following the round. May have a hard time filling the time for speeches. Large error.

Below: Extreme difficulty functioning. Very large difficulty filling time or offensive or rude behavior.

During the debate in all 4 phases, but particularly in rebuttal, summary, and final focus, I like to hear the use and reuse of your evidence to solidify your arguments, and tear down your opponents case. The re-mention of your evidence I find very helpful during a debate. I really appreciate if you can do a good job of sign posting and not jump all over the place is also very helpful. Some teams like to give what they call an "off time road map". I actually like this so I have a concept of how you plan on structuring your next arguments. Feel free to do this before your time starts. The summary part of the debate, I really like it if the speaker can lay out for me, why you think you have won! It's this part of the debate where you want to explain any areas that were misconstrued by your opponents. Clarify these for me. Again, restate any relevant evidence to sure up your case. Point out the flaws of your opponents and why your evidence is better. Of course the final focus, tell me what you feel were the voting issues of the debate and why your case outweighed that of your opponents.

Many of you are very skilled debaters. However, keep things simple. Try not to throw around a lot of fancy debate jargon. I am a parent judge so simple is better. Try and debate as if the person judging has no concept of the topic being debated.

Cross fires. Although I don't put a lot of emphasis on this for deciding the final outcome, I do like teams to be brief in their responses. Please don't filibuster during the cross fires. Ask a question - answer a question - and try to be courteous to the other teams. I don't mind a heated cross fire, but I don't like a team that rambles on and doesn't yield to the other team.

Try and use all the allotted time for your speeches.

In terms of appearance, I prefer that the speakers stand during their speeches. You can face me or the opponents. I'm fine with either. I also ask that you keep your own time. When discussing strategies between you and your teammate: whisper. It can be distracting if I can hear you talking. Also - speed. Please don't speak so fast that I can't write down your points and evidence. I'll do my best to keep up... but I have to understand what you are saying so don't go so fast that I can't make out what your are saying. Also speak loudly for me if possible.

Finally - have fun and be good sports! Thanks.

Hi, I'm Parker or Mr. Klyn, whichever you are most comfortable with.

I am the Director of Forensics at Theodore Roosevelt High School (Des Moines, IA).

I coach national circuit PF and hopefully LD soon.

"I believe judging debates is a privilege, not a paycheck," and "Most judges give appalling decisions." <-- Two quotes from a legendary coach that illustrate my views on judging. My promise to you as a judge is always giving you 100% of my attention and rendering decisions that I honestly believe in and can defend/justify.

I judge for three reasons:

1. I love debate and enjoy judging.
2. Judging great debaters allows me to grow as a coach and judge.
3. Fulfilling my team's obligation.

Also, I'm on the 2024-2025 NSDA Public Forum Topic Selection and Wording Committee. Send me ideas!

Public Forum

TOC 2024 update: You should be so proud of your hard work and talent getting you this far. I am genuinely honored to be part of what is the pinnacle of many debaters' careers, and I am looking forward to judging you.

Add me to the email chain (klynpar@gmail.com). In national circuit varsity/bid PF rounds, send speech docs with cut cards ahead of (1) case & (2) all speeches where you read new evidence. (i.e. not a link to a google doc, not just the rhetoric, etc.) This is non-negotiable. (1) It makes the debate and by extension the tournament run on time and (2) it allows me to be as non-interventionist as possible.

I’m a tech/blank-slate judge, I flow on my computer using Flower. Judge instruction is key. The best debaters essentially write my RFD for me in final.

The above means that I will vote on anything. However, due to time constraints in PF, I generally believe the format's best debates are substantive rounds over the resolution. With that being said, run whatever arguments (stock, K, theory, etc.) you would like in front of me if you feel they will earn you the win. Debate is a game.

Be kind and respectful, I will never change a ballot on this but I will lower speaks especially when it comes to experience/age/resource imbalances.

I vote on offense/defense, that includes framework and specific weighing mechanisms.

Speed is fine, go as fast as you want.

I always disclose my decision alongside some feedback. Feel free to ask questions afterwards. Let's leave the round feeling like we had a positive, enjoyable educational experience.

Speaks are based on technical execution, not some arbitrary standard of what makes a "good speaker." My speaks are pretty standard although I find I am particularly generous (29.5+) to great debaters and particularly stingy (27-27.9) with debaters that miss the mark or make major strategic errors. In order to promote good norms, I will bump your speaks by +0.1 each if you (1) send speech docs with cut cards and (2) indicate to me that you open-source disclose.

Long story short, Just win baby~!

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Lincoln-Douglas

I have begun to coach LD. I will wear my debater's Des Moines Hoover Husky Howler Novice LD tournament champion ribbon with pride for all eternity. (:

Overriding judge philosophy is blank slate/no judge intervention. Debate's a game, do what you have to do to win.

I have a strange relationship to these events as up until this year my exposure to them has pretty much exclusively been through LD circuit rounds on YouTube / college CEDA policy / scraping the wiki for your best topicality shells. Long story short, in all events, I want to judge the highest-level debates possible, so whatever your national circuit meta is, debate like that. I still don't really know what a value premise or criterion is but I do know LARP/plans/K/K affs/theory/T/FW debate etc.

Not confident in evaluating performance or academic philosophy, this would probably require lots of warranting, but if that's your lane, don't feel the need to adjust to me.

Fine with speed (send docs obviously).

I will default to voting on offense extended through the round, but judge instruction can convince me to vote on almost anything. Ask me questions ahead of time for any clarifications.

Novices: Do your best! Debate like your coaches taught you to, and use your instincts. (:

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Congress

If you're in Iowa and you do the literal bare minimum (speak as much as you can, provide sources for your arguments, REFUTE OTHER SPEECHES, ask questions), you're practically guaranteed to finish in the top half of my ballot. Seriously, why are so many of y'all just seemingly along for the ride!

Smaller things: Crystallization speeches are lazy unless it's like the 7th speech of a bill and there has been actual clash the entire way down (make actual arguments instead!), being charismatic/entertaining is a good tiebreaker but doesn't replace a well-argued speech, good POs are hard to beat and bad POs make debate no fun (unless literally nobody else was willing to do it -- then I'll reward you on the ballot), treating bills as having real-life implications around the world >>> LARPing as US legislators

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Debate thoughts:

(This is a pretty self-indulgent section so only read if you think I provide useful insight into the activity):

You should always presume the other team, the judges, and the audience are acting in good faith. Any accusations or even implications towards someone cheating or otherwise breaking the rules should be "stake-the-round" moments -- that is, you better be willing to take a min speaks L if it's unfounded.

One of the single dumbest things I see in competitive debate is this trend of "I'll give u 0.5 speaks if u reference The Office" or "+1 speaks for bringing me a coffee!" It's pathetically and brazenly anti-educational and borderline exploitative (of children!), not to mention it'd be so stupid for someone to get like a 4-2 screw because another team mentioned a dumb meme in their speech. I presume good intentions from people in this community but I am quite skeptical of those who do this.

Speaking of judges, I have zero patience for people who use their ballot/RFD to bully and demean. Congratulations, you're a college-educated adult and you found flaws in a 14-year-old's argumentation. If I'm on a panel or spectating a round where a judge's RFD is moving into bullying territory, I have no qualms cutting them off and reporting them to tab.

And finally with regards to judging -- I allude to this above, but I see far too many debates, especially here in Iowa, where the extent of judges' RFDs is "I didn't like your case" regardless of the actual content of the round. That makes me sad, as it invalidates dozens of hours of preparation and strategy-building between competitors and their coaches. It breaks my heart when I see a well-prepared team lose because the judge just "didn't buy it." I only vote on what is communicated to me within the debate. I do not care how unlikely it seems or how incoherent the link is.... if it's that obvious, the opposition should point it out, not rely on me to intervene and make that evaluation on my own.

Debate as an activity is incredible. Obviously I'm biased but I genuinely think it's the single best thing high schoolers can do with their time. If you're reading this you're probably a nerd or a competition freak (or both) but you also should be proud that you are involved in this thing we do. It makes kids smarter, more confident, better at speaking, better citizens, more critical of the world and its power structures while also more open to alternative ways of thinking.... and it's exhilarating and fun! If I could just coach debate all day I'd take that job in a heartbeat. I often find myself getting emotional when judging high-level debate rounds because of the talent, passion, prep, and dedication in front of me, and I swell with pride when my debaters develop new skills and deploy them.

Feel like quitting debate because you don't think you're any good? DON'T! My first ever tournament I went 1-4 at the Des Moines Lincoln Railsplitter. Even worse, we started 0-4 and were power-matched against the only other 0-4 team at that point -- we only won because our opponents forgot what side of the topic they had chosen. I promise, it gets better. I have a team that went 1-5 and 0-5 at their first two bid tournaments in '22-23 who just picked up a PF Gold bid at Blake '23. Keep at it and you will blossom.

About me:

Director of Forensics of Theodore Roosevelt High School in Des Moines, IA, former coach for Ames (IA)

I debated PF in high school in rural Iowa and had no exposure to the national circuit BUT since then have coached multiple partnerships to TOC and state champions.

My favorite debate event is Public Forum and my favorite speech events are Extemp and Oratory.

Coaching forensics and attending tournaments are among my favorite things in life~ I feel so lucky to be able to do this a couple dozen weekends every year.

I am a former public forum debater. When you make arguments, make sure you understand what they mean. Impacts are always benifical throughout the entire debate. But extend the argument not the card. If you believe you have won a point, you should be able to summarize why you have into a brief statement as opposed to not mentioning it. By the end of the final focus I should have a clear presentation of why your team won the round. If you use evidence in the round, please have that evidence ready to be shown in case it is called for by the opposing team or me.i will give a verbal RFD about what need to be worked on or give suggestions for possible help.

Please be respectful, speak well, and remember this activity is one for education and fun

I've been involved in debate since 2000, both coaching and judging.

You should be polite to one another (rude comments may cost speaker points), and be very clear in citing your evidence. If I cannot tell where your information comes from, it will not be strongly considered.

I've been a debate coach and I've judged debate for 16 years, but I was never a debater.

With that said, MAKE MY JOB EASY FOR ME. Signpost your speeches, make sure your summary summarizes, weigh the round during the Final Focus, tie it into the framework, and basically tell me why and how you have won.

I need your speeches to be organized, clear, and concise. I need you to speak clearly, loudly (but not yelling), and to enunciate - I listened to a lot of loud music in the 80s, and my hearing isn't the best.

I will time you, but I expect you to also keep your own time. Keep your eye on your clock and budget your time accordingly during your speeches. If the timer goes off, finish the sentence in your mouth and make a quick conclusion...do not keep talking on and on.

If you drop one of your or your opponent's contentions (or subpoints) in your rebuttal or summary, I will NOT flow it through if you pick it back up later in the debate.

No new arguments in summary (it's abusive; your opponents don't have enough time to respond).

NO NEW EVIDENCE IN FINAL FOCUS. Final Focus is meant to weigh everything important that's happened in the round and to tell me why you should win, not to make new arguments.

Politeness and appropriate debate decorum are important to me. I will take off speaker points for being rude, snippy, or snarky, or if I perceive you willfully misunderstanding or misrepresenting something your opponent says. Using strong-arm and straw-man tactics is considered poor sportsmanship and will be taken into account when I make my decision.

Experience - I am a coach, though we specialize in congress and public forum. I have coached and judged LD before, though it has been a while (about a year). As for techniques and terminology, I know most of them -- and if not by name, through context.

General - Build me a good case - solid framework, well supported: convince me.

Evidence/data is good but is not my sole judging criteria. Logical argumentative techniques bolstered by evidence is your best route. Make sure I can follow (flow) your organization - signposts, transitions, etc.

That case should also be well-communicated. Impressive as a spitfire stream of data is, that's not effective communication. Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas didn't spread; neither should you. I don't mind some speed as I know there's a lot you want/need to say, but again, make sure I can flow your argument. The faster you go, the less I can flow.

Be civil.

Judging/Win - I vote on argumentation and impacts first, evidence second, structure and delivery third, and civility final. A weak speaker with a solid organized case will win before a strong speaker with a weak or disorganized case.

I also don't disclose unless required and generally only give comments orally at the end of the round if something stands out as really weak or really strong and it is necessary to fix or continue into the next round.