Hello! I am Gregg, a parent-judge participating in my third tournament. Because I am relatively new to judging, I recommend that you provide clear guideposts for your arguments as well as crystallizing your arguments as much as possible. I also suggest that you speak slowly so that I can follow your arguments and the structure of the debate. Wishing all participants good luck, and I hope that you have fun!

Parent Judge. Please ask any questions before or after the round, and I will do my best to answer.

Please be respectful and professional at all times. You can be assertive without being rude or unkind.

I value brevity and clarity, and please speak clearly. Please don't expect me to understand technical terms and references. You may need to explain the basics because I may have no knowledge of your topic.

I will try to take notes on the round, but I do not know how to flow. Make it easier for me by SIGNPOSTING every response, warranting EXTREMELY explicitly, and extending WITH WARRANTS in every speech. If something is important, let me know. Point out concessions, cross isn't binding. That being said, I'm not stupid, so don't be abusive (esp. in second FF).

As a judge, I am emphasize clarity. I can only evaluate those arguments that were presented in a manner that was clear and understandable.

Hi! Here are my LD, PF, and Congress paradigms.

Email: carteree23@gmail.com

Debate experience/about me: I'm currently an English teacher in Philly but I'm heading to law school this fall. I spent seven years as an assistant coach for Phillipsburg HS in NJ where I coached the Congress program. I am on hiatus from coaching this year but I'm still judging a little bit-- not nearly as much as in previous years though. When I competed back in the day, I did mostly LD + sometimes Congress in Maine from 2010-2014, and did NFA-LD + a tiny tiny bit of speech at Lafayette College until 2016.

Drexel Law '27, Penn GSE '21 (MS.Ed), Lafayette '18 (BA)

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LD

The short version: My background is pretty varied so I'm good with just about any arguments in round. I'm pretty tab; tech > truth; I want you to run whatever you think your best strategy is. A couple of specific preferences are outlined below.

Speed: I'm good with anything! If you're spreading just put me on the email chain.

DAs: I like DAs and enjoy policymaking debates in general but I am a little old school in that I don't really like when they have wild link chains and impacts just for the sake of outweighing on magnitude. I'm not gonna drop you for it but I think there are always better arguments out there.

T/Theory: Please save it for instances of legit abuse. I can keep up but there are definitely way better theory judges than me out there so keep that in mind.

Traditional: I competed on a small local circuit in high school and am always good for this type of round. Please weigh & give me voters!

Other stuff (CPs, Ks, aff ground): This is where the overarching "run whatever" ethos truly kicks in, though you should be mindful that I am getting very old and need you to err on the side of over-explaining anything new and hip. I love a good CP; PICs are fine, and I don't really buy condo bad. I was not a K debater when I competed but I've come to enjoy them a lot-- I am familiar with the basics in terms of lit and just make sure to explain it well. Plan affs? Absolutely yes. Performance affs? I think they're super cool. Just tell me where to vote.

And finally: have fun! Bring a sense of humor and the collegiality that makes debate such a special activity. I'll never, ever, ever drop you or even change your speaker points just for being an "aggressive" speaker, but please use your best judgment re: strat and speaking style-- i.e. if you're a varsity circuit debater hitting a novice, it's not the time for your wildest K at top speed, and that is something I'm willing to drop your speaks for.

You can ask me any further questions about my paradigm before the round.

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PF

A lot of my PF thoughts are the same as LD so this will be very short (tl;dr -- run your best strategy, extend/weigh/give me voters, and I'll vote on the flow)! I do think it should be a different event with different conventions and too much progressive argumentation is probably not great for the overall direction of PF, but I won't drop you for it.

Also, I judge a fair amount but I've never coached PF and I am also getting old so I definitely don't have as much topic knowledge as you. Please err on the side of explaining acronyms/stock arguments/etc.

---

Congress

I did Congress as my second event in high school and it's what I primarily coached. I am a pretty frequent parli at NJ, PA, and national circuit tournaments.

I'm a flow judge and my #1 priority is the content of your speeches. While your speaking style and delivery is an important part of the overall package and I’ll mention it on ballots, it's called congressional debate for a reason, and I'll always rank a less polished speaker with better content higher than somebody who's a great orator but isn't advancing the debate. This may make me different than judges from a speech background, and that might reflect in my ranks-- but it's why we have multiple judges with different perspectives, and why it's so important to be well-rounded as a competitor.

I love a good first aff but they should follow a problem/solution structure. If you are speaking past the first aff I need to see great refutation and your arguments need to explicitly provide something new to the debate; don't rehash. Humanizing your impacts and explicitly weighing them is the quickest way to my ranks.

I don't have terribly strong opinions re: the PO-- just be fair, knowledgeable, and efficient and you'll rank.

Hi! I am a parent judge for LD, but I have been judging tournaments for a while. I heavily prefer traditional cases (no theory, K's, etc.); counterplans are fine. No spreading, do not be condescending, racist, homophobic, sexist, or anything that attacks a debater's personal beliefs or identification, else I will drop you. I flow crossx, as it is binding. I do not appreciate post rounding, unless you are truly confused and want to understand the outcome better.

Tech>Truth

Good luck and have fun!

Hi! I'm Eden (she/her) and I debated for Millburn ('20) for a couple of years and am now studying law at UCL in London. I mostly stuck to trad LD, but did some other things here and there.

Quick Pref:

1/2 Trad, 3 Ks, 4 LARP, 5 Anything else (phil, tricks, theory, T, etc.)

General Paradigm:

I'm definitely most comfortable with trad debates but you can read anything you're comfortable with as long as it isn't offensive or hateful in any way. Please put me on the email chain if there is one; my email is eden.elder@gmail.com.

Ultimately the most important thing is to read what you're most comfortable with and I will try my best to judge whatever you choose to read :)

Trad:

I think trad debate is underrated and I really appreciate unique/strategic frameworks (speaks will reflect accordingly). Other than that, make sure your arguments are well warranted. In trad debate particularly, I think the quality of arguments are much more important than the quantity. I have a pretty low threshold for extensions– just make sure you do it. Please engage with your opponent's frameworks and impact your arguments under both framing methods! A strong argument without an impact under the winning framework means nothing in the context of the round.

Tech:

I'm definitely not the best at judging tech debates, but I have some experience with Ks and LARP if that is what you're most comfortable with. I will do my best to evaluate the entire flow regardless of how comfortable I am with evaluating the arguments presented. However, please thoroughly explain your arguments because I don't feel comfortable voting off arguments I don't understand. Also, I appreciate clear overviews!

Speaks:

I give speaks off of strategy and clarity. I also enjoy creative arguments which will be reflected in speaks.

Being rude to your opponent will result in low speaks.

If you have any other questions, you can either message me on FB (Eden Elder) or ask before the round starts.

Have fun and be nice :)

Prefer a focus on your most important arguments for your side and counter arguments to the other side. Don't like a really fast delivery. The winning side usually has the most compelling quantitative or other real evidence that their argument provides the most value to society.

Hello everyone, I am a traditional judge. DO NOT spread. Do not even read fast! Don’t use any jargon. Make sure you make clear persuasive arguments, quality over quantity. Keep it simple, so no Ks and avoid complex counterplans.

Lexington '21, Sarah Lawrence '25, she/her, yes I want to be on the email chain---amandacxdebate@gmail.com

title the email chain something along the lines of Tournament---round x---aff team (aff) vs neg team (neg)

general:

tech>truth

I debated for four years at Lexington and debated at Michigan on the antitrust topic (2021-2022) before transferring. I have always been a 2a.

*online debate: please try to keep your camera on if at all possible

Counterplans:

I think that these are great. I would prefer if there is some form of a solvency advocate but what that looks like is up for debate. Smart perms are preferable to theory debates on a process cp. Links should be a sliding scale and proving the cp links less than the aff should be sufficient. I probably default to judge kick but it doesn't take much to convince me not to.

Theory:

I think that conditionality is probably good but again this is open to debate. I think new 2nc cps are probably abusive unless in response to new 2ac offense. I think cp's should be functionally and textually intrinsic which means making perms to test either textual or functional competition (functionally competitive but textually intrinsic perms or vice-versa are great). Object fiat, private actor fiat or lopez cps are probably not theoretically legitimate. Otherwise, almost all other theory arguments are a reason to reject the argument, not the team, and winning them, especially if they aren't going for the cp, will be an uphill battle.

Disads:

I really love these, I think I give pretty much every 1nr on a da, mostly politics. I would prefer specific links against generic ones. Other than that specific da to the aff are great and I would love to hear them. Everything else here is pretty straightforward.

Topicality:

These debates are okay, I don't really know what the topic should look like so make sure to impact out all of your standards and what limits your interp places on the topic. I don't think plantext in a vacuum is a fantastic we meet but I have voted on it before because oftentimes teams don't have an alternative model. If you can't explain the alternative to plan text in a vacuum you aren't in a great place there. RVI's are not a thing. I also tend to default to competing interpretations.

Impact turns:

I love impact turns! I’m willing to listen to anything. I love space!

K:

In general, I would prefer if you have specific links to the aff otherwise winning case outweighs gets substantially easier. I also think you need to impact out the links and explain how they turn each case. Winning framework for either side makes the debate substantially easier but it hasn’t been game over if a team loses it either. I would prefer if there aren't super long overviews that require a new sheet of paper. If the k is a floating pik please make it clear in the block

Kaff:

The stuff I said about K's applies here, except the framework section, obviously if a team reading a kaff can’t beat framework they lose but that feels obvious. I probably won't understand your aff that well and I probably haven't read most of the literature, but the more time I spend in college the more I have read in an academic sense. However, if you are reading a kaff please explain how you solve and why the ballot is key. I am going to need a specific thing to vote on and if you are hedging all of your bets on one arg please make sure to impact it out. More often than not kaffs will have a blip in the 1ar and then blow it up in the 2ar, please develop your arguments fully, nothing annoys me more that half a sentence that I can’t really give as a full argument but the 2ar makes it seem like THE thing.

Aff:

I prefer extinction affs and am probably more familiar with these as I pretty much solely read hard right affs. That being said I do not think I am a terrible judge for soft left affs, but I need you actually to explain framing and apply it to the other flows.

Framework:

I am probably neg leaning here. Debate is probably a game, and while it can in some ways be more than that, I think at its heart debate is a game. Fairness is the most persuasive impact and I also personally think it's the best impact. Make sure to have a reason why the aff can't weigh its self and preferably get to case in the 2nr. A lot of the aff path to victory was covered above in the kaff section.

k v k:

I have never debated in one of these, but I have found myself in the back of a few. Here are just some basic thoughts I have developed. I think the aff should be able to get a perm. I would like both sides to explain their specific theory comparing it to either the alt or the aff.

Speaks scale:

I try to average around a 28.5 and move up or down depending on what happens during the round. If I go below a 27 something happened in the round that I probably talked to you.

If caught clipping lowest speaks possible (this does mean zeros) and auto L

things that are important but had nowhere else to go:

Speech times in HS are 8 min constructive, 3 min cx, 5 min rebuttals, and however much prep the tournament allows, this is non-negotiable. CX is binding. There is only one winner and one loser. I won't vote on things that happened outside of the round (disclosure, prefs, etc.). If you feel unsafe or something offensive happens I will assist you in going to tab, but do not think this should be a reason to win the ballot and instead a reason for the round to end immediately. Luckily, I have never been in a round where this happens, but I understand that it does which is why tournaments have policies for it.

You have to read rehighlightings you can't just insert them.

I'm becoming annoyed with CX of the 1NC/2AC that starts with "did you read X" or "what cards from the doc did you not read" and will minorly (.1, .2 if it's egregious) reduce your speaks if you do this. I am more annoyed if you try to make this happen outside of speech or prep time. 2As, have your 1A flow the 1NC to catch these things. 2Ns, same for your 1Ns. If the speaker is particularly unclear or the doc is particularly disorganized, this goes away. A marked copy does not mean the cards that weren't read are removed, please don’t do this it takes so long to remove the cards.

I am gay. I am not a good judge for queerness arguments. This isn't a "you read it you lose/i will deck speaks" situation, but you have been warned its a harder sell than anything else mentioned, except the first paragraph of this section where I outlined nonnegotiables.

LD:(stolen basically directly from Eleanora)

I have neither competed nor frequently judged in lincoln-douglass; I have knowledge of the content of the topic but not any of its conventions. I understand the burden for warranted arguments (especially theory) is lower in LD than in policy - I'm reluctant to make debaters entirely transform their style, so I won't necessarily apply my standard for argument depth, but if the one team argues another has insufficiently extended an argument, I will be very receptive to that.

Public Forum:

I flow the rounds and judge based on your speeches not cross fire. I review notes, contentions that flow from beginning to end. Please make sure to have definitions and framework. Framework is very important to your case. Make sure you are clear in your contentions and arguments. If I cannot understand you or you are talking too fast, I miss things and it can be a problem. You are there to convince me why your team wins-explain the impacts and weighing, FRAMEWORK and explain the reason for decision. Pretend I do not know anything about the topic. Be respectful of your opponents and let them talk during cross fire. You should be able to provide your cards, evidence quickly. You should be organized and have them quickly to provide competitor if asked. I will reject any extinction impacts. I will look at climate change and increasing threat of war, but the huge numbers used will not be counted. I do like when teams collapse to one or two best contentions and not the laundry list. Give me the impacts, weighing and why you win.

LD

LD is a speech form of debate and I need to understand your case and reasoning. Spreading is very common today, but it does not mean you are an excellent debater, logical or can convince someone to your side of the argument. You need to convince me, your contentions, framework and the reasons why you won the round. I will flow the rounds and judge based on your speeches not cross fire. I review notes, contentions that flow from beginning to end. Please make sure to have definitions, values and criterion. Make sure you are clear in your contentions, definitions and arguments. If I cannot understand you or you are talking too fast, I miss things and it can be a problem for you. You are there to convince me why you win-explain the impacts, logic, reasoning explain the reason for decision. Pretend I do not know anything about the topic. Debate the resolution and topic. Some LD topics are more like PF but keep to the resolution. Plans and counterplans need to fit the resolution and debaters need to keep to the resolution.

Congress:

Make sure to advance the debate and there are differences betwen first, middle and ending speeches. Do not use debate lingo as please affirm is not done in Congressional debate. Do not use computers and read your notes. Make sure you have credible sources and know your topic. Be able to debate both sides of the topic. Two good/great speeches are better than 3 average/poor speeches so in other words, less can be more. I want you to particpate but quality is very important. You are there to persuade the members.

IE:

Impromptu: Biggest ranking is did you answer the question or prompt. Do you understand what is being asked. Make sure you are organized, confident and always each reason/point relates to the prompt.

Extemporaneous. Use good sources of material. Economic would be The Economist, Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times. New York Times is better than Arizona Republic but make sure you have good credible research. The topics are very advanced and in many cases specific so answer the question. You are to use persuation and logic, with your sources to convince me the answer-keep to the question.

Hi everyone! My name is Lilian and I'm a second-year parent judge. That being said, I'm still fairly new to the activity and would appreciate if you guys spoke slowly and clearly (no spreading please) and ran strictly traditional/lay arguments. Please remember to be respectful towards your opponents.

Have fun and good luck!

She/her

Background: 3x nats senate 1x toc congress, 1x toc info 2x nietoc various events, decent amount of experience in PF, I understand LD and progressive debate but I've never done it done it and so better to err on the side of caution if you are going to get funky, if I'm judging policy then we all better put our big brain hats and cross our fingers

add me: alexandrakallaher@gmail.com

Some things to consider if I'm judging you no matter event + a note on online judging:

1. Signpost. You could have the best refutation ever but if you don't signpost I might miss it.

2. don't be rude, debate is supposed to be accessible and fun for everyone, so respect your opponents! Debaters who look like they're having a good time are way more fun to judge.

3. If for some personal or act of god reason you need to step away from the computer please just say something. I will do my absolute best to accommodate you within timely reason.

4. Speed isn't an issue for me but online there might be some lag problems so just know your wifi.

5. I enjoy niche arguments in every event as long as they aren't unfairly specific

Some things to consider if I'm judging you in Congressional Debate:

1. Key word up there is debate. I highly value refutation in congress speeches. No worries if you give an authorship, but try to show me different facets of your argumentation skills and speaking styles. I'm judging on a holistic model of who is the best legislator in the round- not necessarily who has the best argument or speech.

2. I'm not a fan of when no one is prepared to give speeches. If you get up to give a speech because there is a lull, even if you are not perfectly prepared, I will mentally award you brownie points and it will contribute to the "best legislator" notion.

3. I do pay more attention to CX in congress than other debates because of how few times you get to speak. But it won't make or break you. That being said, if you ask the same question again and again to different speakers I will probably find you annoying and not contributing to the debate.

4. I love crystallizations and later round speeches in congress. If you are giving the last speech do not give a constructive. Congress is about engagement and adaption. If you give a constructive 13 speeches in the debate I am going to wonder what you have been doing. The later the cycle goes the more weighing should be done.

5. I value argument>speaking 99% of the time. But, congress does have speaking elements to it. As long as you are loud and clear we should not have a problem. It is nice if you don't look at your flow pad too much.

Some things to Consider I'm judging you in PF/LD:

1. Voters. I will vote off of what you tell me to. If a team doesn't give me voters I default to the other teams. Be clear and do the work for me and I won't care

2. Weigh

3. I'm tech can be over truth but I do like hearing warrants and am responsive to teams calling out logical gaps/ inconsistencies in link chains

4. If you want me to read a card than tell me to call for the card otherwise sry bud

5. Don't flow cross so if something happens than you better bring it up in a speech

A note on Theory and K's:

1. Theory is necc. to keep debaters in check but I'm not a fan of tricks, time wasters or other trivial nonsense. Please explain it clearly like you are talking to your well educated but slightly demented grandma

2. running theory just to be strategic kinda makes me queasy and I will have more leniency for your opponent if it's silly

3. Running theory against clearly inexperienced debaters is a form of abuse in itself

I am a parent judge who has been judging for half a dozen tournaments. The main event that I judge is LD. Please speak at a moderate pace. Please be respectful to each other. Any unacceptable behavior will result in low speaks. I usually focus on your impacts and voter issues. If you can tell me why your argument matter and what the outcome might possibly be if this doesn't happen...it will make it easier for me to vote for you. I don't disclose the results.

Good luck and have fun!

Hi. I'm Maia Katsnelson. I'm a senior at Needham HS and I mostly do LD debate (since my freshman year), and occasionally some PF.

A few things:

1. Use CX to ask good questions and get your opponent to make concessions

2. You can speak as fast or as slow as you like just make sure to be clear (no spreading)

3. VC debates can be interesting so make sure to debate that. Don't debate values because justice is a synonym of morality. If you want to, concede to your opponents FW, I will not hold it against you.

4. Remember to weigh your arguments against your opponents. And remember to give me clear voters.

5. Have fun and present interesting arguments

6. I am generally not a technical debater and prefer lay arguments, if you make any theory or kritiks make sure to explain them clearly

7. CP are welcome as long as you explain them

If you have any questions about my RFD email me at maiakat14@gmail.com

Good luck and have fun :)

Parent judge with no history of participating in high school debates as a student. I have judged LD competitions for the past 3 years. I prefer that you speak slowly and clearly.

I do not have any competitive speaking experience, and I am a parent judge. For IE, I look mostly at delivery and presentation. Please speak clearly especially since this will be online and audio cuts may occur. You've prepared for this for a long time, so please be confident and good luck!

I'm a parent judge.

Theory not allowed

Ks not allowed

Debaters can self time

Alison Manaker

Strath Haven

I am a parent judge who pays close attention to the quality of arguments and responses. No spreading, no tricks, no Ks, no theory, nothing circuit. Please speak at a conversational pace (be clear -- I'll call clear once before dropping your speaks). I want to hear logically constructed arguments with good quality evidence. No contrived extinction scenarios. I take detailed notes of arguments and responses, but I do not flow. No jargon. Truth>tech

Please have evidence! Please have good evidence. Please do explicit evidence comparison --- I, and you, will be much happier if you point out powertagged evidence, unqualified authors, and clearly explain why your studies and warrants are better than your opponents'.

Style - prefer traditional, but progressive is fine if run well.

Framework - I like value and criterion clash. I evaluate winner of framework first, then use the winning framework to evaluate impacts.

Impacts - Every argument should be clearly impacted. I heavily weigh imminent and highly likely impacts over potential hypothetical slippery slope scenarios. I ask that you provide an impact analysis in your final speech. Show me clearly where your impacts outweigh.

Topicality - I rarely vote for topicality unless opponent is blatantly off-topic.

My name is Timothy Mooney, and I served as the Captain of the Debate side of my Speech and Debate, from 2010-2013, for Arthur L. Johnson Highschool. I periodically go in to provide assistance with my former team. My email is timooney@outlook.com

Speed

When it comes to pacing, I personally prefer it to be on the slower side; details tend to get lost in understanding when debaters speak too fast. For this reason, I recommend a sense of control— you can speak somewhat fast, so long as you use that speed in moderation. Make certain I can hear your arguments, and you’ll do fine. On that note, I am very anti-Spreading (speaking extremely fast, with multitudes of arguments the opponent can fail to address), and want a clear, fair debate.

Definitions

Make sure you have them. Give me a compelling debate if you differ in terms of how the key terms are defined. However, while a definition debate is good, I detest seeing it get very tedious. For instance, you have two very similar definitions, with one minor difference; don't spend the entire round arguing over why I should prefer this tiny detail to be included in the definition. Assume you have the same definition, and make your case. Your definition is going to have very little impact on how I make my verdict in this round.

Crucial Points

When evaluating the round, I’ll be looking for a number of things: clear value debate (in Lincoln-Douglas), well-fought arguments and distinct warrants, voting issues, and (all things depending) the timing of the evidence. Lincoln-Douglas is defined by the values, and there needs to be explicit arguments for which should be used for the round. Debaters also need to try and refute most pieces of evidence and support that their opponent(s) bring up. Dropping entire contentions is a big no-no. Whether in Public Forum or Lincoln-Douglas. Voting issues are key in the final speech, and are a must. Tell me why I should be voting affirmative/negative. Lastly, timing is a bit of a variable; depending on the topic, timing of the evidence can be very crucial. But, if comparing an issue to something from decades ago, old evidence can be good.

Sharing Evidence

I don’t mind if debaters wish to share evidence, if asked and approved by their opponent. However, the moment they receive that information, prep time will immediately begin.

Preferences, argument-wise?

Quite honestly, do what you're comfortable with, so long as I can understand what you're trying to get across. This is especially important if you plan to run a Counter-Plan (an alternative to the resolution, to meet the results the Affirmative is after more effectively)- You need to make sure you inform me that you are running this, somewhere in your speech.

Timing

A Lincoln Douglas or Public Forum debate should be considering their option as being implemented immediately, so understanding the local climate is essential. For example, explaining why a Federal Job Guarantee can work despite us being in a pandemic. Consider what we currently deal with, and how we could work around it. Or how current global events could impede the dictated resolution. This isn't required, but it is strongly recommended.

TL;DR

I'll be deciding based on a number of things: whether you could be understood while speaking, who I feel has won the value debate, who has better disputed their opponent's case, the practicality and likelihood of stated impacts (saying, for instance, x and y will lead to extinction, won't fly without sufficient warrants), and whichever side has made a more compelling case.

Side-Note

As I've experienced it in the past, be specific when beginning to list arguments; if you don't say something like "my first contention/argument is...", especially as the Negative speaker in LD, I might not know if you're doing rebuttal arguments or making your case to me.

My educational background consists of MS in Physics from Belarus State University and MS in Computing Sciences from Villanova University.

As someone with training in accurate sciences I appreciate well thought out and warranted arguments. I prefer quality over quantity in argumentation. And I especially enjoy listening to someone who can think of their feet.

I’m fine with you speaking fast, but make sure that all arguments are clear and make sure to emphasize your main points. I like it when you become involved in the debate, but make sure not to be offensive. Being aggressive is fine, and encouraged in most cases, however it should not facilitate hostility towards your opponents. I like humor and prefer entertaining cross-examinations.

Hi!

My name is Robin (she/her) and I'm a senior at Lexington High School. This is my 4th year of LD, and last year I bid to the TOC and broke at a couple of tournaments. I'm familiar with most traditional and progressive/circuit arguments, but please over explain if you're running high theory (except psychoanalysis which I'm familiar with but you should still explain clearly) or dense phil (anything other than kant, hobbes, butler, rawls, util). Run whatever you want as long as it's not blatantly racist or offensive. I am generally tech>truth but I have a very low threshold for frivolous theory and tricks and please do not run these arguments if your opponent has no idea what they are especially if you are novices. Give trigger warnings where appropriate (and air on the side of caution!) and please respect people's pronouns! If you feel unsafe at any time, give me a signal or let me know and I will stop the round immediately.

Please do weighing!! You can take flex prep but don't take CX for prep. Also for online tournaments please record your speeches in case there are audio issues. Feel free to ask me questions after the round, I think its a great way to learn but please don't post round me :)

Lastly for +0.1 speaks do any one of these things:

- Show me a picture of your pet!

- Show me a picture of some delicious food because there is a good chance I am hungry

- Make a pun sometime in the round

Email me if you have any questions/to send speech docs: 22pan2@lexingtonma.org

Hi, I'm Sasha (she/her)! Currently a senior at Needham HS in Massachusetts; did LD for the first two years of high school before switching over to speech; now I do extemp.

Update for Penn 2021!: I haven't competed in LD since May 2019 and haven't judged since January 2020, so I'm a bit rusty! I've only judged speech online so it might take me a second to get set up on campus and my only understanding of the JanFeb topic is that it has something to do with killer robots(?? shoutout to the wording committee for that). I will really really really appreciate (read: probs boost speaks for) anyone who makes sure they speak clearly and does the whole ~write my ballot for me~ cliché <3

If you're reading this then I'm probably judging you in NLD so here are a few general things to keep in mind:

-Let me know what your preferred pronouns are before round!

-Racist/sexist/classist/homophobic/transphobic/xenophobic/etc behavior will not be tolerated! Also, debate can be super stressful and toxic at times, so please just try to be nice and use common sense.

-Please do not try to spread. It's a Sunday morning. You're NLDers. This is neither the time nor the place for that, and I feel like it will probably take away from the whole learning aspect of NLD for at least your opponent, if not both of you.

-I'm really skeptical of running Ks or Theory in novice LD since a lot of schools restrict their novice programs from those arguments (long-winded way of saying CPs and disads are fine, just don't run the more advanced stuff if I'm judging your NLD round! I also haven't been around LD in over a year so I wouldn't trust me to make a fair decision on those either!).

-I expect you to keep your own time but I'm also usually pretty good about having a timer up as well.

-If you have any questions about your RFD since I know I'm not the more coherent judge when it comes to delivering those, feel free to reach out! My email is sasharieser@gmail.com

Some more debate-y things to note:

-Give a quick off time roadmap and signpost throughout your speech.

-Utilize CX!!! This was probably one of my favorite parts of LD when I did it and I think you gain a TON of important skills in it.

-Actually extend arguments with warrants and impacts, not just tags.

-When it comes to framework, I want you to explicitly tell me your value criterion and warrant why I should be using your framework when making my decision. Definitely collapse under your opponent's framework if you need to; I won't hold that against you and that can definitely be strategic. That being said, values debates are essentially useless to me and I will probably shed a tear if I have to listen to the morality vs justice thing. They're the same thing. These aren't just a waste of my time but also a waste of your (limited!) speaking time.

-Weigh! For the love of god, please weigh. This is basically how I'm going to be voting if you forget to crystalize/give me voters/whatever the jargon for writing my ballot for me is.

-Give me voters! I don't want to have to fill in the gaps by myself and make my decision based on intervention. Tell me exactly why I'm voting aff/neg and what my RFD should look like at the end of your 2nr/2ar.

-Project speak clearly, and be persuasive!!! super underrated skill at local/novice debate tournaments and good speaking will improve your speaks (shocking). Being funny will also boost your speaks but please don't try to be funny if you're not.

-I'm cool with you asking a question during prep time or asking to see your opponent's case, just remember that all counts for your prep time.

Other than that: have fun, learn, and good luck :)

Hey hey I'm Shannon! I competed in Pittsburgh for 3 years in high school in a traditional circuit and have been coaching at Fordham Prep since 2020. I understand most progressive stuff, but if you plan on running high level T's or insane RVI's with wacky interps thought my coffee order is an iced oat vanilla latte and I will need it to dissect what you are saying thank you.

Big believer that debate is a game, I just don't want to have to be the one to determine the rules of the game. Think how the rules of Uno change based on who you're playing with, I don't want to have to decide the rules of the round, every round.

please put me on the email chain, esp if you're spreading: scrodgers22@gmail.com

email: sshi.debate@gmail.com

Strath Haven '20 | Penn '24

experience: debated policy all of high school (haven't listened to spreading since though)

==================================================================

LD: Important things to note:

- i have little to no experience with ld, so things like reverse voter theory will need to be well explained and not rapid fire.

- It's been a bit since I've done anything with debate so I won't promise that I can flow spreading.

==================================================================

i've mostly run policy args during my time in debate, but i'll vote for anything if you tell me why i should.

specifics:

(I haven't thought about these in a couple years, oops)

disads - good, im very familiar with these.

counterplans - also good

impact turns - going for big turns are fun, and i will enjoy them lots if you take lots of time warranting out stuff and having a fun time with seeing what you can do with them

k's - i'm open to args with most exp with args like Cap, Security, Bio, etc... high theory args are confusing (and im pretty sure everybody will think so too) so make sure you explain those well. i think neg will need a specific and well developed link debate and i think neg should still engage lots with the aff, because its likely i will weigh the k and the aff unless proven otherwise. case turns against k's are good.

k affs - i'm also open to these, although to be fair most of my time with k affs is when i read T against them. i think neg should allocate a good amount of time on case because i dont think its done enough

t/fw - i like to think fairness is an important impact, but i think you can have really good debates about education. make sure abuse story is clear. I'm generally compelled by t args if the interp/counter interp debate is really clear. i generally am compelled to believe that the ballot is only win/loss, but a good story might change what i think about the ballot in a round. i like to be a policymaker unless told otherwise.

theory - substance is better, i have sort of high threshold for voting on theory args and esp rejecting teams if theory wasnt dropped or it isn't very clear about why i should reject the team

--- condo is chill

--- LD: i will give more weight to theory args if explained well to me because of how things go in LD

speaks - i think mostly common sense will help when approaching this

--- timing and such should be done by teams themselves

--- being overtly rude will dock pts

--- disclosing is good practice

--- efficiency and reducing downtime between speeches/prep is awesome

I expect all competitors to be respectful, know the rules of their format, and follow the needed order of the debate.

I would categorize myself as more of a traditionalist versus progressive. I appreciate clarity and responding to as many of your opponent’s points as possible, and dislike spreading. Additionally, I am okay with fast, but not choking-like speed especially in the virtual format.

Gig Harbor 12/14/23:

This is my first speech tournament, and my paradigm is all about LD. I'm new to speech but experienced in debate and I'm excited to learn :)

I want on the email chain! matilda.stricherzdeb@gmail.com

My background:

•I did LD for three years at Vashon High School. I started off traditional and ended up mostly running progressive stuff adapted to they by local circuit- so a lot of CPs, more simple Ks, etc. I also did a year of APDA in college!

•I haven't judged debate since 2021 so I might be a little rusty on jargon- if you use a term I don't know I'll ask you to clarify.

•I have a BA in Political Science- International Affairs from Oregon State University

•If you require any kind of accommodations PLEASE let me know! Email me! I want the debate space to work for you.

General debate stuff/conduct:

•Please send me anything you're reading out (cases, blocks, theory, etc.) Spreading is cool with me if I can read along!

•SIGNPOST!!!!! It takes a few seconds to tell me in-round where you are on the flow. If I can't find your argument I can't flow it!

•I don’t flow CX, so you need to restate and extend stuff from CX if you want it to become a voting issue.

•You need to extend and warrant a point if you want me to vote on it. Don’t ask me why I didn’t vote for you based on a one-sentence argument you made in the NC.

•The 2AR and the end of the NR should be clear, simplified speeches. I don't care if the round was a K aff vs 7 off, I want to hear clear, concise reasons as to why I should vote for you. Tell me why your framework or role of the ballot wins if it's in question. Then, tell me why you're right and your opponent is wrong. I want to see impacts. Write the winning ballot for your side.

Individual arguments:

Traditional: Traditional debate is cool and I respect it. I think framework (as in ethical framework, not technical/ debate-y) is absolutely the highlight of trad LD, and when done well can be more interesting than a lot of policy-focused debates. You should focus on the value criterion and then look at the offense through that lens. I don't want to see value debate unless there's real clash, which I highly doubt there will be. I

K: I love K debate! I think Ks, especially unique Ks and ones you cut and wrote yourself, make rounds really fun.
As specific arguments go, I have a solid understanding of leftist, feminist, and queer theory, although my familiarity with specific theorists will vary. You obviously still need to explain the theories I just listed, both for myself and your opponent, but know I'm bringing more prior knowledge to a round about Butler than about, say, anthropocentrism.
I'm totally down for a 1AR K.
If you're nonblack, don't run afropessimism, I will not vote for you.

K Affs: I think K affs are super cool and I have no problem seeing them. I'm not very familiar with them, especially those with performance aspects, but I'm into it none the less. Go ahead and run them, just make it clear to me what I'm voting on.

Plans, Counterplans, DAs: Not much to say here. I better see some good impact calc. Make sure your evidence actually says what you think it says.

Theory: Theory is... fine. I think debating about the imaginary rules of debate is somewhat annoying, and I wish people reserved theory for rounds where it was actually somewhat necessary. I'm also specifically somewhat biased against topic/real world education as a voter because theory itself is… literally not that. I think frivolous theory (like "plans bad") is an especially bad strategy. All that being said, you can run theory, I won't weigh theory less because of my biases, etc. I'll err on the side of drop the arg and no RVIs, but you can change that.

Meme cases: If it's fine with YOUR OPPONENT then go ahead. Please check with them, it's not funny if it's just you going off and them trying to actually debate. If they're cool with it I'm cool with it.

Stuff I won't vote on: I'm not going to vote off spikes/NIBs/whatever you wanna call them. Basically, if the argument is just something fully unrelated to debate or to the round that isn't gonna facilitate meaningful debate, I'm not going to vote for it. You should be debating, not trying to trap your opponent with "affirm means to strongly state, I strongly stated the resolution, so I fulfilled my burden" or theory like "debaters must send everyone in the round a picture of a soap dispenser before the AC".

Speaker points:
I use speaks for a holistic evaluation of your speeches’ efficiency/quality: basically, “how well did you debate?” vs “did you win?”. I’m looking for 1ARs and NC oncases (as in the rebuttal portion) with good coverage that sets you up to win, and NRs and 2ARs that close up the round and tell me how to vote. Use good strategy and time management. Tell me what a ballot for your side looks like. I’m most likely to give low point wins in rounds where the W is only based on one layer of the flow, one dropped point, etc, without which the round would’ve swung the other way.
30: You won. All of your speeches were the best they could be. You literally wrote my ballot for me. I can't imagine how anyone would improve on this. I won’t give a 30 as a high point loss.
29: Your speeches were (almost) perfect. My decision was very easy.
28: Minor issues, maybe with structure/time allocation or small mistakes, but your speeches fulfilled their purposes well. Outcome maybe wasn't obvious, but all the arguments I needed to decide were actively discussed.
27: Speeches were messy/hard to follow OR a significant error was made: lacking weighing/layering, barely addressing major arguments, dropping (less major) arguments, etc. My decision was significantly harder than it needed to be.
26: Round was messy AND you made significant errors. Hard to follow or evaluate.
25 or below: You did something deeply offensive or genuinely morally wrong.

Email me if you have any questions, or ask once we're all in round. That's all!

Hi, my name is Joel Swirnoff, and I did policy debate at Lexington High School in MA for 3+ years. I TA'd novices at LHS (in policy debate) in my senior year. I use he/him/his pronouns, and it would be great if you could let me know what yours are, as well as your preferred name if it is different than what is listed on tabroom.

I'd like to be on the email chain- please use the email joeldebate@gmail.com

Look to the bottom of my paradigm if you need a TLDR

Overall/if you have time:

Please signpost! Tell me what flows I need and in what order for your speech, and say "and" in between cards.

tech>truth. This doesn't mean you can just make any claim however, you also need a warrant. If you have a sufficient one, I will presume it is true until the other team makes an argument against it.

Framing ends up being really important in my decision. More on this below.

Spreading is fine, but if I cannot understand you I won't be able to flow what you say. If you are more comfortable not spreading, don't! In the end, it's about what you say, not about flexing how quickly you can talk.

Clarity is super important too, for the reasons above.

Make sure you are extending warrants when you make any extensions! If you tell me "extend Swirnoff- that turns the link" I want to know HOW it does that.

Dropped arguments are concessions, but it is up to you to capitalize on them. Like I said above, I want to hear why that concession wins you the debate, rather than you telling me it wins the debate. Say things like "they dropped our Swirnoff card, this means only the plan leads to xyz impact as..."

Organization is key for both you and me. It helps everyone in the round when you tell us you are moving on to another specific part of the debate. This means saying clearly when you are moving to another flow, or even when moving to another part of a contention (for example: "now onto the uniqueness of the disadd")

Big fan of impact calc, especially when it is explained well! In closer rounds, this and framing is usually how you win.

In your last speech, tell me why you win the debate. Outline the arguments you are extending and say what my ballot should say.

Things specific to Policy Debate:

A note: please don't say you "solve for racism," you don't.

Case: Case is your child, so take care of it. If you are on the aff remember that you start with the burden of proof.

Framing: As mentioned above, framing is really important in my decision. I will default to a utilitarian framework unless told otherwise. This means for soft left affs, a lot of what will likely end up going into your win is an explanation as to why we should prefer your framing of the round. For the neg, you will have to defend your framework as well. I've found in rounds that each team can win under each framework, the explanation just needs to be there.

DAs: DAs are the epitome of tech>truth, and I love debates over DAs if the link is thought out well and is contextualized to the plan. Take me through the different parts of the debate: this will organize my flow best. Tell me what's unique, what the link is, what the internal link is, and what the impact is. One thing I've seen a lot this year is that it's really hard for me to vote on a DA when there isn't a coherent link chain. So please, please, in your 2nr flesh it all out for me and weigh it at the end.

CPs: CPs that are contextualized to the aff are super strong, but remember you always always always have to prove that it is mutually exclusive from the aff. As I mentioned before, take me through all the parts of the CP. For the aff, this means going through POSTAL.

Conditionality: If you are running one or two conditional advocacies, it probably isn't abusive (two can be argued). More than that you've got a real debate on your hands, but I can be swayed either way.

Ks: I love Ks like Cap and Security! If it is well thought out and contextualized to the aff, I'll be a big fan. Make sure you prove to me that the world of the alternative is better than the world of the aff and status quo. If your alt is "Reject the Aff" it's gonna be a much harder sell to me than real substantial change (eg communism as an alt to capitalism)

T: The neg will have to win a couple parts of the debate in order to win T, but it is definitely doable if you devote your 2nr to it. You'll first have to win that the aff is violating the resolution. This includes a good definition of the language in the resolution you think the aff is violating. From there, you have to prove that what the aff is doing is bad for debate or is abusive. I think that fairness IS a voter (sorry Kaz), but it can also be used as an internal link depending on how you see it.

Things specific to Novice LD:

Framework: I love debates about values and criteria. If you can win your framework it's much more likely that you win the round. A well thought out criterion that fits your evidence well makes the round an engaging one that will probably help your speaks.

Definitions: These can really be your friend! Later in the debate you might be having an argument over how certain actions pan out in the world of the debate, and having a strong definition (it's helpful to include why this definition is good) can decide whether I choose yours or theirs.

TOPIC KNOWLEDGE: I do not have much topic knowledge.

Random: You don't need to say "I affirm/negate resolved" or "I urge you to vote aff/neg." I'm aware, but it's not a problem if you do, I just think you should be saving time for actual substance.

FAQ:

Open CX- I don't really care

What should you call me- "judge" is fine

Open speeches- I'd prefer not, but it's not the end of the world. I'll flow it but it probably mentally holds more weight if the actual speech giver says it

Cameras on- I'd prefer it if you had your camera on, but if you're not comfortable don't feel pressured to do so.

New arguments from the 2ac on- I'd really prefer it if you didn't. Add ons are okay but it's much better if you just go with the arguments that came out of the 1ac and 1nc. Exceptions are if a team does something within the bold below.

Keeping track of prep- I'll do my best to keep track of prep but I don't always remember to. Consider this a panopticon tho- I am keeping track of your prep and speaks will go down if you steal.

Speaker points- I start out at 28.3-28.5 and will go up or down based on the debate. I consider clarity, respectfulness, arguments made, quick-wittedness, etc.

Lastly,

Be nice! Respectfulness will usually lead me to giving you higher speaks. If there is a lack of respect or if there is demoralization between opponents, it'll likely lead to lower speaks, especially when this occurs from a male team towards a female or other identifying team.

Racism, xenophobia, antisemitism, ableism, or any comments of the like will automatically dock speaker points and may lead to a loss.

Some stuff about me that I might give you plus speaks on: I'm a big fan of soccer (I'm a Man Utd fan) and really all sports, so if you want I'd be down to talk about it before the round. Also, if you can make jokes about Lex Debate or anyone in it I'll definitely appreciate it.

If you have any questions, please ask, and have fun!

TLDR:

- You can run pretty much anything you'd like in front of me

- I am very much tech>truth

- Be respectful

- framing is usually pretty important in my decision

- Do impact calc

- organize your speeches well, be clear, and say "and" in between cards

add me to the email chain- joeldebate@gmail.com

I am a parent judge. Please speak loudly and clearly at a moderate pace. If I cannot understand you, I cannot vote for you. I listen for weighing; please give me clear reasons why you should win.

I’m currently a first-year student at Duke and I competed mainly in Congressional Debate during high school and have had experience in Public Forum.

In Congress - I will be looking at strong link chains in your argument. Everything has to make sense if you want to be scored well. Argumentation will be valued over presentation (probably around 75% argumentation 25% presentation). Make sure you are respectful to your fellow competitors. I want to see a lot of clash and no rehashed arguments. If you can pull off a strong refutation/crystalization speech that will be scored better than bringing up two new points towards the end of the debate. Make sure you ask lots of good questions and are attentive throughout the debate. POs should be fair, respectful, and efficient. If I consider your behavior or your arguments as anything remotely sexist, racist, homophobic, or along the same lines of offensive will be immediately dropped.

In PF - Please no spreading or talking obnoxiously loud just to talk over your competitors. Make sure your link chains are strong and everything is as clear as possible. I'll want to see you cite from strong sources and are well prepared. If you want me to vote on your side I'll have to see a humanized impact (human reason). Presentation doesn't really matter to me I'll look at your argumentation and how you respond to your opponents mainly. If I consider your behavior or your arguments as anything remotely sexist, racist, homophobic, or along the same lines of offensive will be immediately dropped.

I debated in the late 90's. I believe in the Value Premise and Criterion. I think there should be clash. Rounds should be in a conversational speed. If I am yelling clear, I am missing an argument. I will stop flowing. I am not a blank slate judge nor will I drop someone for dropping an unreasonable argument. The last speeches are for providing voters and writing my ballot. If there is no connection back to the VP/ your position, I feel there is no ground for me to vote. I do not vote for Kritiks. I do believe a discussion with a debater about the round is ok. I think understanding points of view helps with communicating your cases in later rounds. I will not switch my decision.

hi! my name is michelle, i go by she/her pronouns, and if you're reading this i'm probably judging you soon whoa! please add michellewu7154@gmail.com to the email chain

*for novices: novice year is all abt learning so if there's anything you want to work on specifically, let me know before the round

tldr:

- be clear, organized, and explain your arguments

- weigh and compare args, write my ballot for me

- time yourself and keep track of your own prep

- be nice, make the round a safe and fun learning environment

- you do you, but i'm not the most experienced in high theory ks or other strange theory

abt me:

- currently a freshman in college,

- i've done policy debate since freshman year and ran policy strategies

about the debate:

- a complete argument has a claim, warrants, and impact (all are important but most people will forget warrants and not use impacts)

- i shall say this many times, please weigh your arguments and do comparisons with your opponent's arguments (it helps me make a decision and it'll make ur debates much more in depth and fun). don't just say we have a higher probability, magnitude, or timeframe, explain why and how they interact with each other on both sides

- tech > truth (this means i will look at the arguments on the flow and what has been said, not what is my or your personal opinion. you should point dropped args and explain why they're important for you. that being said, i will not value "tech" if it is racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, or in any way disrespectful because that wouldn't be very cash money of you please use ur best judgement)

- clarity > speed

- organization!! tell me which arguments you're responding to/extending and when you switch flows. please roadmap before you start your speech, which is telling me the order of flows in your speech, and sign post during your speech, which is labeling the points you're talking about

- write my ballot for me! this takes lots of practice but make your last speeches big picture, tell me what are the most important points from the round, and what i should care about. before you start the 2NR or 2AR, ask yourself "why are we winning this debate" and your answer should be the first sentence of the speech

- did someone say impact calc? did someone say evidence comparison? did someone say weighing across multiple flows? :0 yes indeed i said it (key word: outweighs)

for ld

i've judge a couple ld rounds, but i'm still unfamiliar with some jargons or ld-specific theory. i can flow your arguments, but i might need a little more explanation.

good luck and have fun!!

I expect all competitors to be respectful, know the rules of their format and follow the needed order of the debate. I would categorize myself as more of a traditionalist versus progressive. I would appreciate all competitors speak slowly, loud and clear AND clearly state their contentions.