jorman.antigua@gmail.com

school affiliation: acorn community high school (Brooklyn NY), NYUDL (new york urban debate league), stuyversant high school (New york, NY)
years debating: 4 years of high school, starting college debate

in a debate round i have done everything from cp and politics to performance

my first highschool topic was aid to south Africa, last one was reduce military (if that matters)

I will vote on whatever arguments win, this means I may vote on anything, it could come down to Counterplan-Disad, Procedurals, Kritiks, Affs with no plan text, to even performance. tell me what your argument is and what the ballot signifies (if it has a meaning)...i.e. policy maker etc...(...)

speaker points: be persuasive and make it interesting thin line between funny and ass hole at times may it be in cross-x or your speech you decide *background music* ...analysis/argumentation (don't lie about reading a hole card if u didn't,don't just read cards and tag~line extend ~_~ ) i will call for evidence if needed and i will hit you wit the world famous "cum on son" lol

specifics...

impact your arguments (duhh)

Topicality: i like a good t debate, their fun and at times educational, make sure you impact it, and give a correct abuse story...

counter plans: have a good net benefit prove how they solve the case

dis ads: you can run them i vote for anything and am familiar with most scenarios

k: i was a k db8er for the better half of my db8 career so i'm pretty familiar with most k~lit u will read unless its like some deep
nietzsche, zizek, lacan type ish but i get it...and if you explain it give a good story and show alternative solvency i will vote for it...it is also fine if you kick the alt and go for it as a case turn just debate it out...

preformance: i did this too...explain what the round comes down to...i.e. role of the judge/ballot/db8ers...and if their is a form of spill over what this is and means in real world and debate world... block framework lol...and show me why your/this performance is key...may it be a movement or just you expressing your self...i like methodology db8s so if it comes down to the aff and neg being both performance teams be clear on the framework for the round and how your methodology is better and how the other may recreate these forms of oppression you may be speaking about...may it be the deletion of identity or whiteness etc...same things apply if your running a counter~advocacy against a performance team...(*whispers* solvency)...k vs performance rounds same as methodology prove the link and as for the alt prove the solvency... framework vs performance rounds i had a lot of these, boring but fun to see the way they play out depending on interp, vio, impacts and stuff...

framework: any kind is fine...same justification as Topicality...depending on how your spinning framework within a round... *yells* education =)

theory: sure

short & sweet

#swag...have fun...do you...debate =)

Woonsocket High School (Debate Rhode Island) 2016

Harvard 2020

- Debated at UDNC, Bronx, Little Lex, Harvard, State tournaments, etc. (regional)

- NAUDL Alumni Ambassador 2017 and coached two BDL teams for it

- helpful for you (if you have time) to read Janet Novack's paradigm - she was my coach in high school and her views have really shaped mine.  

- Have judged at varsity CX at Yale, Bronx, Big Lex, and BDL tournaments

- Will vote on anything (besides stuff like racism good obviously); you do you.

- I haven't run a gender or race K and didn't debate them much in high school, so if you're going to run one in front of me just make sure that the link debate is clear and that you have good analysis. I like a well-versed debate on these if there's a clear link -- please don't do links of omission if that's the only K that you're going for though, make it a better debate.

- Ran policy affs (advocacy statement senior year so like soft left?) // heavy on Cap, T, K, and sometimes ran anthro (lol)

- I've judged 29 rounds on this topic (and watched many more)

General:

- If it is not on my flow, it does not exist. It is your fault if it's not in the right place on my flow - keep it clean.  GO SLOW ON ANALYTICS.

1) CLARITY. Keep my flow clean. Do clear line by line. Roadmapping and signposting gets good speaks from me. I'm already an indecisive person by nature - if I feel like you didn't weigh the arguments enough I'll do them myself and you may not agree with it.

2) SPREADING. I'm fine with spreading, just be clear on tags and authors. Please say "and" or use another word between cards. I'll tell you to slow down / will say "clear" if I can't understand you. I'll only do this a handful of times though so it's up to you to see if i'm flowing or not. 

3) Judges are ignorant and unpredictable creatures, I am no exception, don't let me make the decision on who won based on my musing at the moment. Demonstrate beyond a reasonable doubt that no matter what insanity may be possessing me today, that I must vote for you.

4) I try to be as blank slate as possible, meaning you need to tell who to vote for and why. Give me clear impact calc. Make my life simple, and you will be rewarded. I love a good impact calc and line by line. Make sure you have offense too or else there's no reason to vote on defense. If neg has no offense at the end and most of the aff stands, I will probably vote aff on presumption if they do better impact calc. 


5) Topicality: One of my least favorite args. I'll vote for it if the aff doesn't respond to it sufficiently. I've ran multiple T's in rounds, which is fine with me but I only like seeing it when there's an actual violation. That being said, don't make your whole entire strategy T unless you really need to. I love off case. I don't really want a 5 minute 2NR on T unless you've actually spent some time on T before.

6) K’s: Explain your K well if you go for it. I will listen to cross X on the K. My ballot will not, however, be cast on CX. Show me that you know it and that it matters to you. I personally ran DnG Cap K and ran anthro for fun a few times. My absolute pet peeve is when people can't explain their alt without having to pull their cards back up and use them for reference the whole time. You should know your alt inside and out like it's your baby. What happens in the world of the alt? Why do we need to do the alt? Why is the alt mutually exclusive? How do you explicitly link? I hate links of omission, make a link wall and make it clear to me why we are voting for your K and what doing so means. 

7) Kaffs: Similar story here. You really have to sell me on solvency. I find that most K-aff teams have trouble articulating their solvency. In round? Out of round? Spillover? If you can sell your solvency, then I will probably vote for you. Show me WHY it's necessary to run your K as an aff.

Framework is cool. I used to run Cap/FW against K Affs... I'm pretty boring.

8) Speaks:

• What gets you good speaks:
  • Following the flow
  • Making it easier for me to flow
  • Making things interesting
  • Clear spreading
  • Productive CX
  • Being passionate

• What hurts your speaks:
  • Being really boring (I love laughing)
  • Wasting CX or Preptime
  • Being rude
  • Generalizations

9) I'm doing this for fun so I expect you to have some fun as well, take the round seriously but that’s no reason to be boring. 

If you’ve made it this far - congrats!! Any further questions can be emailed to kelleybabphavong@college.harvard.edu

Notes for Princeton Classic: I usually judge policy, although I have experience in both debating and judging PF. I will evaluate PF rounds in a very technical manner - I will not intervene on anyone's behalf, and I believe I should judge you on the merit of your arguments, rather than your speaking skills. That being said, I think that good speaking skills can make an argument more persuasive within the round and on my flow, especially in later speeches. 

Spread if you want to - I'm used to policy, and you probably won't approach that level of speed. Give me an off-time road map before you start your speeches. 

Policy Paradigm:

Strath Haven High School ’16 – three years of policy debate

University of Pennsylvania ’20 – first year of non-policy college debate

*If there is something I haven’t covered in my paradigm, or you don’t have time to read it fully, ask me before the round.

**Yes, I’d like to be on the email chain if there is one. My email is alexander.b138@gmail.com.

Notes on China Topic

I’ve done a fair bit of research on this topic, so I know a few things about the common affirmatives and off-case positions that are floating around. This topic has the potential to be incredibly broad, so there are some affirmatives where T seems extremely convincing.

Yale will be my first tournament officially judging this year, although I have judged some practice debates for Strath Haven over the summer.

Overview

Run the arguments that you are the most comfortable with – I am looking to vote for the team that makes the best strategic arguments and decisions.

Regardless of whether you read an aff that critically examines the topic or a traditional policy aff, clear explanation of exactly what the affirmative does will make it a much cleaner round with the least amount of intervention on my part. The same goes for the negative – if I don’t understand a part of the link story on the K/CP/DA, I will not vote for it.

Be respectful and courteous of the other debaters in the room – do not be overly aggressive during CX. I understand the competitive drive to win the round, but when that drive manifests itself in aggressive actions, you will lose major speaker points.

Quick answers:

·       Open CX is fine

·       I don’t take prep time for flashing

·       Go as fast as you can without sacrificing clarity – I will yell “clear” if I can’t understand you.

Specific Arguments

Topicality: typically undervalued in high school debate. My threshold for voting on T will likely be lower than most judges, providing you can flush out a compelling reason to vote. Don’t throw voters like “education” at me without articulating the reasons why education or fairness are important to the activity, and why I should be voting for them. Also, make sure you understand exactly what the affirmative does if you go for T, and create a nuanced violation by the negative block.

Disadvantages: my most common 2nr in high school was DA and case. These debates are primarily won on the impact level – if you are not spending at least 30 seconds explaining how the DA outweighs/turns case in every speech (and probably more in the 2NR), you’re not creating a compelling framework for me to vote for the DA. Secondarily, make sure you explain how your warrants differ from the other teams – don’t pretend that tagline extensions answer their arguments.

Counterplans: you must have a semi-decent solvency advocate in the 1NC. I know that your condition CPs and process CPs will most likely have very generic advocates, so make sure you explain precisely how they would interact with the affirmative by the 2NC.

Kritiks: When I read Ks, I mostly read Marxism and Baudrillard, so I will be the most familiar with these arguments. I have a good grasp on postmodern theories, critical race theories, and securitization critiques. I do not have a good grasp on psychoanalysis or queer theory, so if that’s your thing, you will have to explain it very clearly.

Critical affirmatives: I have a lot of experience debating against critical affirmatives – just like “traditional” affirmatives, they can be either quite good or quite bad. The best ones have a specific philosophical mechanism that indicates how the affirmative operates, typically in regards to the resolution. The worst ones are a bunch of critical authors thrown together to create absolutely nothing. Make sure you’re reading the former, and you should be good.

The common framework or method arguments are much less persuasive when you are interacting with the topic while reading a critical aff – you are welcome to read an aff that isn’t related to the topic at all, but know that the negative could have several quite persuasive arguments that you should be prepared for.

Theory: go for it, but make sure that you fully commit. Chances are you will not win a round where half your 2AR is condo and half of it is case outweighs vs the DA.

Random Thoughts

I was a 2N in high school, so I will likely be inclined to protect the 2NR by ignoring new 2AR arguments. This does not mean I will reject 2AR spin and cross-application, but the moment that it becomes an unpredictable argument or extension, it won’t be on my flow.

Try to craft off-case strategies that don’t explicitly contradict.

Asking about preferred pronouns before the round seems to be a positive trend in debate. If someone accidentally misgenders another person in the round, please correct that person politely, and if necessary, communicate further with them after the debate.

Overviews should be short and should focus on the impact level on the debate – I believe this applies to DAs and case as well as Ks.

Your speaking style (tone of voice, speed, inflection, etc.) should not matter on my flow, but is undeniably important in your overall persuasiveness as a debater. 

I am non-interventionist.  It is up to the debaters to persuade me that they/he/she have won the round.  That being said, do not assume that I understand jargon, acronyms or shorthand as substitutes for fully developed arguments.  I have no ideology as to speed, but I will make no apologies if I fail to understand speeches.  In L-D I vote as guided by the ballot and/or league rules.  As a default, LD is a value based debate and I will vote accordingly.  In CX, there is more room for the debaters to define the round.  In PFD, because there is no burden of proof, I will vote in whichever direction I was more persuaded from the outset of the round.

Kale Fithian—Erie (PA) McDowell Policy Paradigm

Background: I competed in extemp in high school and speech/LD in college in the early to mid 1990s. I never competed in policy debate. I picked up judging after being trained about 20 years ago. I judge 10-15 rounds a year mostly at local tournaments in Western Pennsylvania/Eastern Ohio. I occasionally judge circuit debate and have judged several times at NCFL Grand Nationals.

I would best be described as an experienced traditional judge with some exposure to circuit policy debate. Speed is not something that I am philosophically opposed to but I can probably only handle about 65-70% of the fastest spreading. Clear tags and direction on the flow will help. I will say clear if needed.

I flow on legal pads and don’t access technology during the round. It has to be on my flow for me to vote on it and not just in an email chain.

I am reasonably well versed on current events but do not have any especially specific knowledge of this topic area.

Round Procedure: I will time just in case there is a dispute but otherwise you are welcome to time yourselves. I won’t count any technology time such as flashing information against prep but it is your responsibility to let me know that you have stopped prepping.

Open cross-ex is fine with me but I will not require any questions to be answered during anyone’s prep time.

I am not overly concerned with formality of procedure but I will penalize heavily for clear unsportsmanlike or inappropriate behavior. Treat the activity and your opponents with respect and this should not be an issue.

I will disclose and do a brief reason for decision but I write most of my comments on the physical or computer ballot.

General Philosophy: My goal at the beginning of any round is to be as non-interventionist and tab rasa as possible. It will be the debaters’ job to identify the key issues of the round, argue them and guide me by providing voting issues. If there is a true breakdown of the round or lack of clash I will default to policymaker with an impact calculus as my preferred method of round evaluation.

Specific Arguments:

T—I have a fairly high threshold for T. I will tend to default to a reasonableness argument unless the Neg clearly wins the line by line.

FW—I am always open to either side framing the debate and setting up the importance of the arguments (as noted above in my tab rasa philosophy). I will not vote specifically on FW but if you can show the specific reason your arguments win under a FW I agree with you will most likely win the round if your points truly match the FW. If you can show what specifically you are missing out on if I accept your opponent’s framework that would go a long way.

CP—I am open to CP’s by the neg. If your CP will lead to a better net benefit than the Aff plan then I am going to potentially vote for it as part of the impact calc in the round. Likewise if the Aff plan has better net benefits then the Neg then I would be inclined to vote Aff at least on the plan portion. I am however not opposed to the Aff running T, harms, DA, etc… against a CP.

DA—I will consider both the Aff and Neg running DAs against a plan or counterplan to be fair arguments relating to the effectiveness of those cases. If the DAs outweigh the net benefits of either that can be a key voter in the round.

K—I am fine with Ks being run but it is up to the debater running it to make sure they explain the potential impact/consequences/reasons for the K to be accepted and to show why the topic or case is truly related to the K.

On Case—I am favorable to the Neg being able to attack the Aff case. I am more likely to vote on some sort of harms but will vote stock issues if it is clearly won in argumentation.

Performance Aff/Aff K—I am not very familiar and hold a high threshold here. If this is done it will need to be clearly explained as to why this is clearly better than running a traditional case.

Fiat—I will grant Aff fiat and any non-attacked plan gets full benefits as if it happened (granted harms etc.. could still be argued).

Lincoln Douglas Addendum:

I have been judging Lincoln Douglas for about 20 years and judge about 20-25 rounds each season mostly at local tournaments in Western Pennsylvania and Eastern Ohio. I have very limited exposure to any sort of circuit Lincoln Douglas but since I judge policy somewhat regularly I am still passingly familiar with the style. However I do not feel spreading or excessive speed should be common in Lincoln Douglas. Fast conversational pace should be the highest pace needed.

For all of the round procedures see above from the policy paradigm. For Lincoln Douglas I still try to be as Tab Rasa as possible and have the students determine the key voting issues in the round. However both my philosophy and judging experience leans heavily towards the traditional LD style. So in a close round I will default to who won the value and potentially criterion clash more heavily than practical applications, policy implications, or solvency. I do flow the main arguments and rebuttals for the debate but I am fine with grouping or big picture arguments and cross-application. However it must be clearly explained why an argument successfully counters multiple opposing views or why a cross-application is valid. I value the argumentation aspect of debate in LD more as I consider it to be a truly separate event from policy.

I debated at Gulliver Preparatory during high school and I am currently a student at New York University.

Though I would consider myself traditional in terms of debate style, I do find interest in performance and K debate. Debate how you want to debate, not how you think I want you to debate.

All arguments should have a claim, warrant, and impact.

Tag team cx is always good.

Flash doesn’t count as prep time but if you take excessively long and are clearly prepping I will let you know that I’m starting your clock. Also, please include me in the email chain, or flash me your speeches if you’re reading cards.

I debated for 5 years and understand the arguments, but I am a lay judge.

Spreading is fine, just be clear. I will say clear if you aren’t.

Presumption: Explain yourself and you can win on presumption. If it is true, who am I to deny that?

Topic experience: Judged one tournament (Yale Invitational) on this topic. Minor research experience.

The 2nr/2ar is where you should leave me to evaluate your arguments. Don’t assume I will default to anything said in the 2nc/2ac. If you don’t extend and explain your arguments thoroughly it will be hard for me to sign my ballot.

Kritik: Not well versed on most kritik’s but as long as you explain your argument well I have no problem voting on the K as long as your alt actually solves and your impact outweighs the affs impacts (and obviously it must link). Reading generic links is fine as long as the debate is strong. I prefer case specific links because it is just much better for debate and what everybody gets out of the debate.

Performance/framework: I would consider myself liberal in thought but relatively traditional in debate practice, so as much as I love to watch performance teams, it will be hard to win my ballot if your opponent is killing the framework debate. If the performance is within the realm of the topic it will be much easier for me to sign the ballot. I do believe that framework is a good argument though and as a non-performance debater, I tend to sway towards framework arguments over all else.

Topicality: Very little topic experience, but I do appreciate a good T argument. Don’t extend T just for the sake of extending it, extend it if it is actually a viable 2nr. T is just the truth so if you make your case well and T is applicable, I’d love to hear it. If you don’t read T and I think you should have, I’ll most likely tell you during the RFD.

Theory: Don’t try and win on theory if it’s a weak argument. Even if you debate theory better than your opponent, if your argument is irrelevant I won’t feel obligated to vote for you. That being said, I do love a good theory debate.

Disads: Love this. If there is a good, case specific link, and the impact isn’t too extravagant, if it is actually somewhat realistic, I don’t know what gets better than a good DA debate. Don’t even get me started on politics. If you’re not reading an elections disad right now I don’t know what you’re doing.

CP: As long as it’s competitive, I like it. CP theory can sometimes be a little weak to me. Have a solvency advocate and there should be a perm debate here.

Tufts University '20
- 3 years parliamentary debate (APDA, USBP)
- 2 years ethics bowl (APPE; USA #2, 2020).

Lexington High School '16
- 4 years policy debate (NatCir)
- some public forum (MSDL)

Summary

If it's not on my flow in the final rebuttal, I'm not voting for it. I will NOT follow along on speech docs. Speed is OK, but clarity is key. All argumentation is the debaters' responsibility to make coherent in the final rebuttals.

Harmful / intentionally disrespectful conduct will tank speaker points.

Run what you do best and please ask any other questions you have before the round!

Background

Most of my high school affirmatives had traditional policy mechanisms. I have some experience with "identity" and Continental criticism in debate, esp. on the neg. I have researched affect and political philosophy. I am not involved in topic research; please don't assume acronym familiarity.

I am a reasonably new judge who enjoys what debate has to offer. My judging style includes assessing the quality of the arguement, articulation and voice projection in addition to assessing the details of the arguement and quality of cross examination. Voice control is also important. The manner in which the debater address the audience is very important. Knowledge of subject matter is key to a great debate.

**Updated October 31, 2023

Hello everyone!

My judging history will show that I’ve primarily tabbed at tournaments since the pandemic started. However, I’ve been keeping up with topic discussions across LD, PF, and Policy and am looking forward to judging you all!

I’ve been in the debate world for over a decade now, and have been coaching with Lexington since 2016. Starting this academic year, I also teach Varsity LD and Novice PF at LHS. I was trained in policy debate but have also judged mainly policy and LD since 2016. I also judge PF at some tournaments along with practice debates on every topic.

TLDR: I want you to debate what you’re best at unless it’s offensive or exclusionary. I try to have very limited intervention and rely on framing and weighing in the round to frame my ballot. Telling me how to vote and keeping my flow clean is the fastest way to my ballot. Please have fun and be kind to one another.

Email: debatejn@gmail.com

ONLINE DEBATE NOTES

In an online world, you should reduce your speed to about 75%-80%. It’s difficult for me to say clear in a way that doesn’t totally disrupt your speech and throw you off, so focusing on clarity and efficiency are especially important.

I usually use two monitors, with my flow on the second monitor, so when I’m looking to the side, I’m looking at the flow or my ballot.

MORE IN DEPTH GENERAL NOTES

If your argument isn’t on my flow, I can’t evaluate it. Keeping my flow clean, repeating important points, and being clear can decide the round. I flow by ear and have your speech doc primarily for author names, so make sure your tags/arguments/analytics are clear. I default to tech over truth and debate being a competitive and educational activity. That being said, how I evaluate a debate is up for debate. The threshold for answering arguments without warrants is low, and I don’t find blippy arguments to be particularly persuasive.

LD PARADIGM

In general: Please also look at my policy paradigm for argument specific information! I take my flow seriously but am really not a fan of blippy arguments. I’m fine with speed and theoretical debates. I am not the best judge for affs with tricks. I don’t like when theory is spread through and need it to be well-articulated and impacted. I have a decent philosophy background, but please assume that I do not know and err on over-explaining your lit.

On Framework: In LD, I default to framework as a lens to evaluate impacts in the round. However, I am willing to (and will) evaluate framework as the only impact to the round. Framework debates tend to get really messy, so I ask that you try to go top-down when possible. Please try to collapse arguments when you can and get as much clash on the flow as possible.

A note on fairness as a voter: I am willing to vote on fairness, but I tend to think of fairness as more of an internal link to an impact.

On T: I default to competing interpretations. If you’re going for T, please make sure that you’re weighing your standards against your opponent’s. In evaluating debates, I default to T before theory.

On Theory: I lean towards granting 1AR theory for abusive strats. However, I am not a fan of frivolous theory and would prefer clash on substantive areas of the debate. In general, I do not feel that I can adjudicate something that happened outside of the round.

On RVIs: I think RVIs have morphed into a way of saying "I'm fair but having to prove that I'm being fair means that I should win", which I don't particularly enjoy. If you’re going for an RVI, make sure it’s convincing and reasonable. Further, please make sure that if you’re going for an RVI that you spend sufficient time on it.

On Ks: I think that the NR is a difficult speech - answering the first indicts on a K and then having to collapse and go for the K is tricky. Please make sure that you're using your time effectively - what is the world of the alt and why is my ballot key to resolving the impacts that you outline?

PF PARADIGM

In general: I rely on my flow to decide the round. Keeping my flow clean is the best path to my ballot, so please make sure that your speeches are organized and weigh your arguments against your opponents.

On Paraphrasing: I would also prefer that you do not paraphrase evidence. However, if you must, please slow down on your analytical blocks so that I can effectively flow your arguments - if you read 25 words straight that you want on my flow, I can't type quickly enough to do that, even when I'm a pretty fast typer in general. Please also make sure that you take care to not misrepresent your evidence.

General Comments On LD/Policy Arguments: While I will evaluate the round based on my flow, I want PF to be PF. Please do not feel that you need to adapt to my LD/Policy background when I’m in the back of the room.

On PF Theory: It's a thing, now. I don't particularly love it, but I do judge based off of my flow, so I will vote on it. However, I really, really, really dislike frivolous theory (feel free to look at my LD and Policy paradigms on this subject), so please make sure that if you're reading theory in a round, you are making it relevant to the debate at hand.

POLICY PARADIGM

On Framework: ROBs and ROJs should be extended and explained within the context of the round. Interpretations and framing how I need to evaluate the round are the easiest path to my ballot. Please weigh your standards against your opponent’s and tell me why your model of debate works best. While I will vote on fairness as a voter, I tend to default to it as an internal link to another impact, i.e. education.

One off FW: These rounds tend to get messy. Please slow down for the analytics. The best path to my ballot is creating fewer, well-articulated arguments that directly clash with your opponent’s.

On Theory and T: Make sure you make it a priority if you want me to vote on it. If you’re going for T, it should be the majority of your 2NR. Please have clearly articulated standards and voters. I typically default to competing interpretations, so make sure you clearly articulate why your interpretation is best for debate. In general, I do not feel that I can adjudicate something that happened outside of the round.

On DA/CP: Explain why your evidence outweighs their evidence and please use impact calc.

On K-Affs: Make sure you’re weighing the impacts of your aff against tech stuff the neg articulates. Coming from the 1AC, I need a clear articulation of your solvency mechanism and the role of ballot / judge.

Hitting K-Affs on neg: PLEASE give me clash on the aff flow

On Ks: Make sure that you’re winning framing for these arguments. I really enjoy well-articulated link walls and think that they can take you far. I’m maybe not the best judge for high theory debates, but I have some experience with most authors you will read in most cases and should be able to hold my own if it’s well articulated. I need to understand the world of the alt, how it outweighs case impacts, and what the ballot resolves.

One off Ks: These rounds tend to get very nuanced, especially if it’s a K v K debate. Please have me put framework on another flow and go line by line.

Ananth Panchanadam

2020 Update: Ananth Panchanadam

Education: B.A. Political Science, New York University (December 2018). Ms in Finance, Georgetown University, McDonough School of Business (May 2021), Unionville High School(2015)

Professional Experience: Internships in Investment Banking and Corporate Finance

Coaching/Teaching Experience: Stuyvesant, Ransom Everglades (Students qualified to TOC from both schools)

Competitive Background: Policy Debate

Paradigm: Wanted to keep this simple and quick. Feel free to ask more in-depth questions

I like students who have plans and by plans I mean students who have a clear vision as to what they are trying to accomplish in each speech. I want to reward debaters who have an idea of how to win the debate and can explain and execute that it. I prefer that over debaters who just extend their scenario and do line by line without any broader strategy.

I don’t have any style of argumentation preferences and have had coaching success with Policy, K and performative strategies. Speed is fine, please be clear and don’t blaze through theory shells and pre-written analytics.

I also think that the goal for most students is to win a debate and that students look to exploit points of arbitrage to secure victory.

T: I believe that Affs have a prima facie burden to be topical. What it means to be T is up for debate. You can also reject the topic but be ready to defend it. I don’t have a strong preference for reasonability or competing interps. It seems inevitable that both are used in my decision. Def go for it if you have a good explanation. I treat standards as linear disads and actual abuse is more persuasive than potential abuse.

Ks:

Role of Ballot is the first thing I evaluate on a k flow but I do need to believe that there is a reason for the ballot to have a role and that the specific role of the ballot is good.

Role of Judge =/= Role of Ballot. Role of Judge, ideally, helps me prioritize an issue or method that influences the way I interpret the arguments made in a round.

I view links as independent disads to the aff. Good teams will explain them as reasons to vote for the alt and/or the squo.

DAs/CPs:

Use case arguments to strengthen your DA arguments. Strong link work will serve you well. Specific counterplans and texts are good.

Personal Opinions/Conventions:

1) I disclose and call for cards unless told otherwise

2) Tech vs Truth is stupid: Drops =/= wins and strong truth claims don’t always beat technical drops. Use situational awareness to determine how to approach technical aspects of debate

3. 3) Author Quals matter. Peer reviewed research, respected news sources, industry opinions (especially for Finance and Econ). Authors from relevant fields.

4) Science, Statistics and Data analysis are good.

5) I don’t have a revolution or reform good bias for K debates

6) I generally don’t find g-lang type arguments persuasive and I will not vote for them against ESL students.

7) I don't like arguments made in bad faith and you'll know it when you see it. I don't like sketchy disclosure practices (Either do a reasonable disclosure or don't disclose at all and be prepared to defend the consequences of your decision).

8) I don't take prep for flashing/Emailing. Not everyone has a $3k macbook.

Feel free to ask me any questions you have and good luck!

I did three years of policy debate in High School and had experience coaching junior varsity members in PF and World Schools. Did a year of traditional policy and two years of critical/performance debate so yeh but I will vote on anything. Framing is critical to me as a judge whether you go for A disad or procedurals or a critique. If you do not frame the round I will vote based on how I saw the arguments in the round which may not always go in your favor even if you had the better arguments coming out of the block/constructives. That being said, although I am a critic, I will not restrict you and what you want to debate unless I find it to be particularly harmful or violent...so yeah literally run anything in front of me as long as you got the finesse to do it well.

Also little things you may wanna know about me:

This is my first time judging the topic, so I may have a higher T/FW threshold in terms of voting on it. Spread to your heart's content, but having a cadence will make you easier to flow.

DAs - Love me some specific links, not a fan of spending/ptx but hey I'll vote on it.

CPs - I like me a good CP. Run em well, especially in non-policy debates, don't be clearly abusive, real game changers right here. Don't skimp on the internal net benefit analysis either, really make it competitive to the aff regardless of the offense on other flows.

Ks - Just because I was a critical debate doesn't mean I will take an underdeveloped one and do the work for you. If it's a sloppy K debate I will feel disinclined to award high speaks regardless of whether or not I vote on it. Also don't make your alt basic/reject the aff, I want to know how the alternative will solve the impacts of the criticism and also tackel the nuances of the aff.

T/FW/Procedurals - I enjoy judging these debates more than I do debating them. I don't want to hear generic blocks on these, though, really sell your net benefits and why the aff's model of debate is net bad, don't just exclude them. I have a hard time voting on Policymaking framework if it is answered reasonably well, but a different interpretation that allows for the possibility of the aff to be debated in another shape or form can make for a great and productive debate in my opinion. Theory is A-okay with me, especially with critical internals.

Debated at Lexington & Harvard. Master’s in environmental policy, getting a law degree—let me know if you have questions about college or grad school. My email is z.schnall.4@gmail.com.

TLDR: no argumentative preferences, flow-centric, do line-by-line, don’t be a jerk, use warrants, be clear, take care of yourself!

2024 Updates: I haven’t judged at a tournament since 2018. I was with the times and now I am not—so if there are new assumptions around theory, framework, etc., assume you should explain them. I can still keep up but please start speeches slower so I can get adjusted to your voice first.

Here are three guiding principles in order of importance:

1. Self-care comes first. I want you to be able to have a positive experience in the debates I judge and to generally feel welcome in the community. If something’s getting in the way and you feel comfortable telling me, please let me know.

2. Debaters are more important than judges. I’d like you to get what you’re looking for out of debate (education, adrenaline, line on your resume, etc.), so long as it doesn’t substantially interfere with someone else’s ability to have a positive experience.

3. Life goes on after debate. I personally think debate works best when students learn how to advocate for causes in which they believe, and then advocate for them outside the debate space. Portable skills matter far more than a dusty trophy.

Bias: I don’t care what you talk about (with some exceptions, see offensiveness below), but my one “bias” is that debate should be about trying to make the world a better place—whatever that means to you. If you think that debate is just a game and want to mess around for two hours, I am not the right judge for you. If you’re convinced that your plan or advocacy or alternative is really a good course of action to take, you should be able to convince me as well. If you don’t think an argument is defensible outside of a debate room, don’t read it in front of me. Given my preference for substance, theory and topicality arguments are often less fun for me to judge, but if you can frame the ballot as a way to make the world (or the debate community) a better place, then you’ll be fine.

Flowing: I decide debates based on my flow and will default to flowing speeches and most of CX. If you want me to stop flowing or to look up during a speech, tell me. If I am not able to rearticulate an argument based off what I was able to write down, I will not vote on it. I will have a much better flow (and faster decision) if you number your arguments and do line-by-line.

Offensiveness: Making offensive arguments will damage your speaker points. If you are doing something that is clearly offending or otherwise hurting an opponent, stop doing it. I don’t want to decide a debate on meta-issues (clipping, representations, etc.), but if sufficiently offensive, I am willing to vote against them. I have never judged a debate in which I had to actively intervene, but I reserve the right to do so.

Dropped Arguments: When I judge, the words“1AR dropped turns case” aren’t by themselves enough to guarantee a neg ballot. This is more of an “explain your arguments” thing and less of a “truth over tech” thing. Always give warranted explanations. Debate your opponents at their best, and you will do your best.

Clarity: I judge by the speeches, not the speech docs.I want to hear what you are saying, not just have a vague idea of what your tag is. You can still spread in front of me. In the interest of avoiding interference with your speech, I will NOT say clear during your speech unless you ask me to do so before the round. Slow down on advocacy texts and theory. I will probably check a speech doc to fix advocacy texts during CX; I won’t do the same for tags or theory. If it’s not on my flow, it won’t be in my RFD.

Speaks: These things will generally boost your speaker points: charisma, humility, kindness, cogent overview/impact framing, flawless line-by-line, pivotal CX moments, strategic cross-applications, coming back from behind. These things won’t necessarily boost speaks but will make me happy: affs that wrote/researched their own case and know its intricacies, negs that substantively engage the case, reading good evidence, making arguments you believe.

I have 7 years of both debate and judging experience combined, ill go into deeper detail before an actual debate round (feeling lazy)

I consider myself to be an all around judge, in the sense that my sole purpose in the debate round is to evaluate it and vote on who made the most convincing argument. 

Hello. I really don't care what you run, but please strike me down if your Ks have no direct real world impact. This is the first thing on my paradigm because I take this very true to heart. If your alt is critical examination and that doesn't tell me what you're going to do after you contemplate about the world, i will absolutely vote you down. This does not mean I will not vote for Ks - i love them, but only ones with concrete alts.

I do enjoy theory and the fun structure stuff. I will also literally vote on anything as long as you tell me why.

If you don't give me a clear road map i will get confused and potentially some important flow could get lost.

If you take forever to flash, I will take an entire speaker point off. You can be the most brilliant debater in the circuit and the highest point you will get is a 29.

If you avoid everything I described above, you will be fine. Good luck

My paradigm isn't very complicated, but you'll notice that I'm a bit different that your average judge out on circuit these days. I'm pretty old school. At my core I'm a policy maker. I'm not a fan of critical arguments however, if they can be explained as a policy option then go for it. However, if I wanted to judge a round about how great the world would be if we were all just nicer to each other, then I'd be over in the LD pool. I have voted on both critical affs and negative K arguments, but I have a lower tolerance for them. Speaking of LD, I'm going to add on some LD specific stuff at the bottom.

I will never say that I'm a Tab judge. I'm just not. I will not make any excuses for that. I think it's unrealistic to assume anyone comes to a round with no biases. For example, I spent 20 years as a meteorologist. I have a degree in Atmospheric Sciences and was on television for most of that 20 years. SO, I will evaluate ANY warming arguments both for and against with a great degree of scrutiny. If you're going to run climate arguments in one my rounds you had better know your stuff because I will almost guarantee that I know the material much better than you do and I did it for a living and I won't accept half-baked or poorly understood arguments. Just because you can read something doesn't mean I have to accept it as truth especially if I know better, no matter WHAT your opponent says. THAT is the real world.

Politics arguments...understand that you can run them but know this, I am a complete non-believer in the theory of political capital. I don't believe it exists, nor will I ever be convinced that it exists. I do however believe that decisions are made and will be made with political considerations as a key motivator. That however doesn't mean that a president's ability to get something passed is impacted by some immeasurable, unquantifiable power metric that has no threshold where success or failure can be predicted.

Are you getting the idea that I'm a real world kind of judge? Good, because that's me in a nutshell. I love high quality, well researched discussions on what ifs, but they need to be based on real science, realistic scenarios, or at least scenarios with impacts that can be reached with a quality link chain. This year's resolution is EXTREMELY tangible and has so many real world implications that you should treat it as such. If we end up in the weeds talking about garbage that's only important to half a dozen people in a fringe think tank located in the broom closet of a lost downtown community college, then don't waste 90 minutes of my time.

Okay, enough with the I hate stuff. How about what I like. Well constructed arguments with strong links, well thought out analysis and clearly delivered. I like debaters that look like they're having fun. This is verbal gladiatorial games, and that's why we love it. Keep it cordial. Make it light when you can and engage with the judges when it's appropriate. We have to spend a good amount of time in a room together, so let's make the best of it. In the end, one team will win, and one team will lose, but we should all feel like we spent meaningful, entertaining, and educational time together.

With regard to LD since I judge that occasionally, like I said above, I'm a bit old school and that applies here as well. I DO NOT like my LD to be like my policy. They are different events for a reason. I detest progressive LD with a passion because every time I've judged it, it has turned into really poorly done policy debate. I'm a traditional LD judge that enjoys the value clash. I'm sure that will come as a disappointment to many of you, but it is what it is. Spreading in LD is unnecessary. I've been judging policy for nearly 20 years so It's not like I can't handle it. I just don't like it in LD. Just like I mentioned above, if you read it, I like clear analysis. Strategic arguments are worth their weight in gold...and speaker points. Keep it fun. Keep it fair. Keep it entertaining.

My name is Waiho Zhang, I debated policy debate for Brooklyn Technical High School for 3 years.

**Quick Version**

I mainly debated kritikal arguments in high school. My literature basis is very expansive, from race based arguments to pomo white people. However even though majority of my debate career was grounded in Ks, i've also read a fair share of policy arguments so feel free to run them in front of me, I will make my decision accordingly.

*******Long Version*****

Ks: I love kritiks when they are ran well.  I'm familiar with most kritiks, my literature basis is pretty expansive. Please have an coherent link and impact that stems beyond "state bad." I would prefer you extend the ALT into the 2NR but its option, I believe the job of the NEG is to prove the AFF is a bad idea, if you have an big enough link that the PERM doesn't resolve I'll most likely vote you up. Impact calculus is very important, don't forget it, tell me why K outweighs.

Performance: I dig it, just make it meaningful so it doesn't look like you put it into your AFF to take up space.

Framework Vs. K AFFs: I vote on framework 50 percent of the time, prove why your model of debate is better. I feel like the best strat is to go for arguments that push fairness, limits, and ground with education impacts along with topical version of the AFF is the best option. Going solely for state solves in the 2NR is fine but not preferable.

DA, CP, PICS: Love them, give me a link and do impact calc. I think PICS are legit, IDK

Theory: Impact it out, I will vote on it if you go for it. Please spend time, don't make it blippy.

***

Watch your language. No racist, homophobic, sexist rethoric please.

***

Policy vs. K: I will vote on stuff that go hard right, as long as you do nice impact calc and help me frame my decision. I'm not one of those judges who won't vote on shit cause I THINK its wrong. Example: I will vote on heg if ran well, i think its a decent argument, just watch the way in which you run it.

:) Good luck and have fun.