First of all, let me start by saying I HATE SPREADING. And I mention it frequently, and we STILL. SEE. SPREADING. You are not auditioning for an auctioneering job, you are trying to present a convincing argument. Three strong points well presented will be more effective with me than ten thrown out in an indecipherable flurry of syllables strung together. CUT IT OUT.

Good information well documented goes without saying. But there, I just said it anyway.

A presentation that has an arc, where the delivery is smooth throughout but that varies in tone, volume, rate, intensity, etc. will always tend to sway me in your favor. Good signposting is smiled upon.

Finally, look and sound like you're having a good time, or at least that you have something that you're glad you get a chance to present. Have confidence in yourself, and know that even if you stumble, you're going to get through this. And of course, when you find yourself totally lost and the information or words that you had right there two minutes ago have somehow disappeared, stop, smile, regroup and carry on. You will get through this. Probably doing better than you think.

Be mindful of your judging pool. Especially when you have less experienced parent judges, consider taking your time for an extra beat here and there, be sure to signpost well, enunciate and speak up. Some of us are old and not as quick as we used to be. Good luck, have fun, and, as we say in my hometown, Don't Forget To Be Awesome.

I debated four years of Policy at Claremont High School (2008-2012), and have been an intermittent assistant coach for all forms of debate since then. While I am comfortable with pretty much whatever styles, forms, or arguments you would like to run, I do not regularly judge each year and may not know all the resolution-specific acronyms or plans or strategies; be mindful of your topic jargon. Speed is not an issue, but only if you are CLEAR. I value good signposting; if I cannot follow your argument, it does not exist on my flow.

I generally prefer Policy strats over K strats. This is not to say I will not vote for K arguments, but my threshold for rendering such a decision is somewhat higher. Please clearly link your arguments and firmly/clearly establish your framework, and we'll all have a good round. This also goes for theory: prove there is substantial in-round abuse that warrants your running a theory argument. Nothing is more dissatisfying than finding out the theory is just a timesuck (especially Topicality). Consequently, I tend to prefer substantive debates over theoretical debates.

Concerning China: I would like to believe that I am better read on China than most debaters and other judges. If you read cards by Gregory Kulacki in my round, know that I likely have the original article and probably know whether you're cherry-picking my father's arguments or not.

Concerning In-Round Protocol: Tag-team CX is fine. I count flashing evidence as both teams' prep time if it takes longer than one minute. I highly value courtesy in- and out-of-round; your perceived skill or victory over your opponents is no warrant for toxic behavior.

I don't appreciate spreading.