Experience: 4 Years CX at Round Rock High School, Fourth year out, Currently Unemployed

I have no preferences for what you're going for in the debate as long as you do it well. I want to hear a narrative that is cohesive to some degree, i.e. for the Aff you should be constantly talking about how awesome your Aff is going to be. Similarly, for the Neg, you should have a clear story for any variety of argument, for instance if you're going for counterplan disad, you should have a clear method as to how your counterplan works and your disad should have a clean link/uq story to follow, I don't want to have to call for either team's uniqueness evidence after the round to make a decision.

Some Specifics;

Aff Debate: This is probably the most forgotten piece of any debate round, it isn't the aff that frames the round, it's the neg, the neg is going to try and distract the aff from talking about the aff. All I can say is to just not forget about the case, don't let the neg control the round, as for the Aff it's your best piece of offense in the round, and you don't want to leave that behind, and for the Neg it's what you're attacking, and when either side loses focus on this the debate and flow gets far more muddled due to the loss of focus.

DAs/TOs Debate: I ran everything from space debris to algae blooms to politics, I would love to hear some less generic scenarios because those are always interesting. I think you should try and focus on your links and internal links as those are how you create a story of what the aff is causing. Not much else needs to be said here.

K/K Aff Debate: ran Cap, Colonialism, and Anthro throughout high school, I'm going to know how these Ks function a lot better than something a bit more abstract, but don't let that discourage you, I'm game to hear anything you have to say on this front. I will say that I'm not going to know the specifics of your literature if you're reading Foucault or something similar, so I have a higher threshold for an explanation. I also believe that your best bet for this debate is to focus on the link and alt scenarios because once again that is the story of your aff. I will say that I have had rounds, where I've evaluated a K as a disad, in this round the neg, was winning the link and impact flows and the aff was winning the alt flow and that being the only scenario I was given to evaluate at the end of the round I wrote a ballot for the neg because the K was still acting like a disad. As for the topic of K affs, just like Ks, I think they're interesting, definitely willing to hear them but just like any judge I'm going to expect a somewhat higher degree of explanation.

Framework Debate: I think this is one of the easiest ways to win or lose the debate. Unfortunately, this is often ignored or pushed to the side in most rounds so it ends up not being evaluated at the end of the day. Competing frameworks provide a lot of depth to the lens of how I should decide the round, and are crucial in winning the more out their arguments. Don't just run competing interpretations as to the framework of the round, actually engage in clash.

CP Debate: Generic counterplans are bad, try to have as many specific solvency mechanisms to the affirmative that you can. Be creative with your arguments here and make sure that the net benefit to the counterplan is clear.

T Debate: For me, T is generally a timesink for the Neg, as it's easy to spend 20 seconds going through a T argument and then the Aff has to spend a minute or so responding to it. Therefore, the burden of proof for T is much higher than other arguments. I also find it extremely hard, if not impossible to vote for T when you read specific links to their aff in your Ks or DAs. I think you can be smart with T such as identifying the aff as effectually topical or extratopical, but don't just read this as a timesink.

Theory Debate: Much like T debate, you're going to have to push for this for me to vote on it. I think that when somebody gets up and reads condo it is merely a time sink and they have no intent of going for it, please don't be running these because it will just waste both teams and my time. Once again, I don't think this should be discouraging, but rather you should adjust your strategy if you're going to just try to read theory as a timesink.

I have competed in high school speech events, Congress, LD and PF experience, as well as some coaching and judging experience. I am currently an active Toastmaster where I achieved my Distinguished Toastmaster educational award.

Things about my style:
- I need to be able to follow your case (i.e. Roadmaps are important, signposting with spreading)
- Don’t just pick a case for the sake of confusing your opponent, it needs to be pretty much topical
- Speed is fine, but I need to be able to understand you
- Viewing your opponent’s case doesn’t substitute for flowing
- Don’t take your cards out of context, if the idea behind the card doesn’t support your case, then it’s probably not a good idea to use it, even if you can make a sentence work for you (while I won’t necessarily pick this out myself, if your opponent points it out, I will know and remember)
- Extending arguments require you to give a reason with evidence/warrants (i.e. "non-unique" by itself isn't good enough)
- Be polite (i.e. if you know that you are winning don't destroy your opponent, offensive language should add value if used)
- I weigh arguments against each other, so keep track of important points that your opponent has presented a valid argument that counters it
- I don't take CX into account (other than to give you pointers for next time) unless you bring it up in your speeches
- I would rather see a few well-covered points than a bunch of poorly covered points
- I'm big picture (key points matter more than defending and defeating every point/contention)
- I like voters, they weigh heavily on my decision, and they should be your major arguments (you should pick your still standing, strong points)
- I’m not a big fan of theoretical debates, I prefer debates with substantiated arguments.

- if your opponent can’t instantly bring up the source, if doesn’t automatically discount it, especially in CX. If they don’t bring it up later.

I like a good debate and am generally very nice with speaker points to both sides when I see one.

Congress:

- Ask questions during questioning. (When there’s extended questioning periods, I take that into consideration because of the limited number of questioners. At least try to get questioning time.)

- At least look like you're paying attention.

- Be prepared to give a speech. (In some states, you only count for numbers if you give a speech and it's beneficial for you. After all, you're in the event for a reason.)

- The longer the breaks are that you take the less time you have to speak. (5 minutes is enough time for the judges to do what they need to do, and you can always ask for a "point of personal privilege" to use the restroom or come back late.)

Speech Events (IEs & Extemp):

- The grace period (available in some states) is there for a reason, so that you don't automatically get last place for going over. You really shouldn't be using the majority of it.

- You should know your prepared speech's time and not need time signals. (Non-prepared events, such as Extemp and Impromptu, are exempt. I will give up to a 5 down with a 30 second warning to time, not including grace.)

- I'd rather see 1 or 2 well covered points than 3 points that lack coverage.

I have been involved with competitive speech and debate for over 20 years now as a competitor, coach, and judge. I have a Master of International Affairs with a concentration in National Security and Diplomacy studies. My initial background is in high school policy debate, I also competed in collegiate Lincoln-Douglas for Western Kentucky and was part of their NPDA / NPTE parliamentary debate program.

By default my framework is net-benefits / cost-benefit analysis. Really this means weighing impacts and telling me who is winning in terms of magnitude, probability, and time frame.

NFA-LD Paradigm

I believe this event exists to be a single person policy debate which means defending a stable form of advocacy with a solvency advocate. I think there are ways that you can access kritikal impacts with this that

Performance Debate (specific for 2023-24 topic)- I don't like performance debates. But for this topic, I am very open to soft left affs as I believe this topic has some potentially strategic avenues to make the debate more competitive for the aff. It is going to be easier for you to get my ballot with a plan text and then a kritikal advantage (and that is not mutually exclusive to some of the kritikal schools of thought) that sometimes topics are written in such a way that there are strategic and literature-based reasons to pursue an affirmative that can play both in the world of policy impacts and in the kritikal world.

My view of the role of the ballot: Here is the short version of my philosophy on this, if you tell me that voting aff is a symbolic victory that buys currency for something greater than what happened in this round, as a judge I just don't see it that way. There are only 3 functions of the ballot as far as I am concerned: 1) An evaluation of how both debaters performed in this round 2) Which debater made the best arguments (OR WON) this debate and 3) to show I met my judging obligations for the tournament.

Case Examples:

A performance aff I will probably not vote for- Advocacy: Use your ballot as a tool to reject the patriarchal order of the nuclear age that envelopes the debate space and embrace a feminist international relations lens of nuclear weapons.

I am not opposed to FEMIR literature. In fact the sheer volume of the literature as it applies to this years topic makes it fair game. However, the reason I am not likely to vote for this is you are not going to find solvency that says rejection in a debate round is going to solve the fundamental problems and harms in the literature.

An aff that I am more likely to listen to- The USFG will adopt a no-first use nuclear policy.If you were to then run a threat construction advantage that had clear indicators of how no-first use leads to the deconstruction of threats and the literature supports that then that is a much more likely path to getting me to vote for a kritikal advantage.

Another aff I could see myself voting for- Plan: "The USFG will unilaterally disarm itself of its nuclear weapons". If you then ran the entire case with FEMIR literature and that was your advantage, I would be open to listening because this approach is heavily grounded in the literature.

Spreading-I can handle speed as long as it is clear. However, if I do not flow it because you were not clear then I won't go back and look at the email chain to do the work for you. That to me is intervention and doing extra work for you.

Topicality-I will vote on topicality if you can tell me what specific ground you have lost . Be able to articulate why the ground you have lost is key to your ability to debate. For instance, if we are in a foreign policy debate and the aff runs that "The USFG should consult NATO on __x__" that is taking away ground for you to test the effectiveness of the plan.

Compare that to "they have an advantage that should be the basis for negative disadvantage". It is possible the aff might have done better research to secure the internal links to solving for the impact. That doesn't mean that your ground was taken away.

If you can prove that the aff has taken away core negative ground then by all means run with it. But don't tell me it's a voter for the potential for abuse because that is not an impact.

Affirmatives- if you run a counter-interpretation on T, please remember to tell me how you meet your interpretation and have counter-standards. You could have the best counter-interpretation in the world but if you don't meet it then you have proven two different ways how you fall outside the topic.

I don't believe in RVIs for T.

Kritiks- I am fine with kritiks if: 1) Please give me some specific links. I get sometimes if a new aff is sprung on you that you need to run generic links but if you really understand the literature base, you should be able to write some sort of analytical link story. I am increasingly frustrated with links that are based on "you use the state therefore link"

2) Give me a textual alternative that has a solvencyadvocate. Don't just tell me "reject the aff", instead I need to know what this new world / paradigm looks like and how it solves the harms of the aff and avoids the impacts of the kritik.

Counterplans- I think that once a counterplan is run presumption flips aff and it becomes a question then of which side presents the better policy outcome. I believe to be competitive a counterplan must be mutually exclusive from the plan itself (yep I'll vote on PICs bad) and have a net benefit the plan can't capture. I am also old school enough to believe that a permutation requires solvency.

Theory-I won't vote on theory arguments unless you show me that actual damage has been done. I would prefer not being bogged down in you reciting theory arguments written by debaters who have long sense graduated that don't even pertain to the argument. I think too often theory debates become an excuse to not engage with the arguments that on a logical basis could be taken down.

Having said that, will I entertain theoretical objections to the plan such as vagueness, F-Spec, A-SPEC or minor repair? Yes because while they are theoretical, they are ultimately grounded on discussions of the policy. But I will only vote on these if you show that you have lost ground.

High School Paradigm

I think that in high school we have a division of the types of debate for a reason so my paradigm is broken up to help make it more reader accessible. I will start with some broader issues before moving to the specific events.

Flash / Prep Time / Email

I consider time spent with a flashdrive to be prep time until you hand the drive to your opponent or until the email has been sent. I do not want to be part of the email chain because my focus should be on the round and listening to your delivery, not a CSI style re-examination of the round after the fact to try and piece together what happened.

Spreading

I keep a pretty tight flow but please make sure you slow down for the tag lines. I will say clear once and if you continue to be incomprehensible then speaks will drop. Realize that articulation is just as important because if your judge doesn't flow it, it doesn't count.

Speaks:

I will not disclose speaker points after a round (until Tabroom posts it) please don't ask. In order to earn 30 speaks you have to have a nearly perfect combination of round vision, articulation, and refutation.

Performance Debate

Please don't run performance arguments in front of me. I personally think there are better forums for high school students to address the issues that are often encompassed in "performance debate" and those avenues are in the public speaking and interpretation events. In those events you actually have to change pieces

The ballot serves as a tool to show the tournament I judged the round and could make a decision. The ballot is not a form of currency that gives your arguments more power.

Kritikal Arguments

Having said that I don't like performances, I welcome a kritikal debate provided that the framework is sound, that there is a clear and specific link (please note just because a team was assigned to affirm is not reason enough to say they link). There also needs to be a clear alternative. Please don't take the lazy way out and just say "reject" or "discursively interrogate". Give me actual text with solvency for the alt.

Theory

I think that a theory debate is ok provided that there are actual warrants to the arguments and you can prove demonstrated abuse that has happened in the round to justify voting for or against the argument. Too often theory debates devolve into reading claims off frontlines someone long ago wrote for your team and don't have any meaning to you so you can't explain how it functions. I am not going to do the math for you on this so please make sure that the argument chain is clear.

Policy Debate

I think policy debate should be about actual policy with a plan. I default to the policy-making paradigm of cost benefit analysis unless I am told otherwise.

Topicality- I am not likely to vote on topicality unless you show me in round abuse. Just the potential of abuse is not enough for me to vote. Also please don't just use JARGON. If it is the first time I am judging you make sure that

Make sure that your counterplans or kritiks can actually solve the harms of the affirmative. Plan inclusive counterplans are pretty much an invitation for the rare vote for me on theory if the aff can demonstrate that there is lost ground.

Also make sure on disadvantages that you have uniqueness and that the direction of the link actually ties to the impact. Lastly, please make sure that your politics disads make sense. Don't just make the link jump to the impact to say we are going to have a nuclear war.

Make sure you IMPACT your arguments and compare.

Lincoln- Douglas

While I think there could be a place for a plan in a util framework I would prefer to see a value criterion-debate here. If you can explain adequately how a plan fits and is warranted then we can have that debate.

Please do not just take your policy teams kritik files and turn it into a case and assume that this is a way to win the round. There have to be actual implications as it relates to the round.

Public Forum

I am open to most ideas of how to approach Public Forum but tend to revert to cost benefit analysis as a default. Make sure that you give me clear arguments with clear impacts. Don't just throw out a debate buzz word and hope that I will interpret it as such. If you are going to use terms like "turn" make sure it is an actual turn.

Make sure that if there is an argument you think is going to win you the round that you carry it throughout the debate. Please don't magically resurrect an argument in final focus that has not been present since the constructives and then tell me it is the most important thing in the round.

Lastly when it comes to the final focus, I know that time is a major hurdle at times but you do not have to go for every argument in order to win. Please tell me how your argument compares to your opponents' and explain why your arguments matter more.

I don't believe in connecting the dots in the round, you have to do that. I am a former NDT college debater so I do look at rounds in terms of impact calculus analysis.

in terms of Public Forum you can win most of the line by line arguments but you have to carry the crucial points to win the round. I believe the last speeches are crucial as you determine what to go for so I really look at those speeches as being your playbook as to why I should vote for you. 

If you are not sure of evidence or of facts you might want to think about it before offering it up because I do believe what you present must be factual or if quoting something make sure you are not taking it of context, evidence is very important to me and especially that is presented in the way the authors intended it to be.

Public Forum is different than Policy you can spread an opponent out the room if you wish but you better be able to do it clearly and carry the most important points of the round because just because you might win more line by lines that might not win a Public Forum Round.

i view crossfire as a crucial part of the debate and it should be noted if you mention something in crossfire it's fair game in a round. I view crossfire as a great potential for offense for both teams.

Public Forum is different than Policy debate, persuasion is key and make me vote for you.

Offense is key to victory in any debate format so you have to have offense to generally get my ballot.

I am a typical PF judge. No real paradigm since PF is not plan or value driven. I like to see well developed arguments and effective speaking. I will listen to any argument as long as it is reasonable.

https://judgephilosophies.wikispaces.com/Boyd%2C+Megan

For email chains and/or any questions: mvboyd@sbcglobal.net

Public Forum

I am open to both traditional and progressive styles. My only preference is that you debate the style that is most comfortable for you.

Framing: Please give me lens through which to view the round. If you don't give me any framing, I'm either going to vote based off your opponent's framing, or worst case scenario something completely arbitrary. It's incredibly difficult to judge a debate with two entirely different impacts and zero weighing mechanism. Please, please, please don't waste your time reading me definitions for literally every single word in the resolution.

Theory: This is public forum, I truly believe you have no time to read incredibly progressive and complex arguments here. If you want to, I will listen. However, keep in mind I am now four years out and have not kept up with the literature. With that being said, basic arguments relating to topicality, reasonability, and competing interps are always welcome.

CP/K/Aff Advocacy: Sure. I personally think the time constraints of PF make it hard to do any of these things, but that doesn't mean you can't pull it off in an abbreviated sense.

Flow: Now for what you all really came here for, I do not expect the second speaking team to extend offense in the first rebuttal. If you have time to extend offense, more power to you. I understand that four minutes is an incredibly short amount of time to attack your opponent's case then literally defend against all their attacks. This was literally never an issue when I debated and don't know who decided the second speaking team has to work twice as hard to win the round. If you actually want to waste your breath calling out your opponent in your two minute speech for not extending offense I will literally sit there and stare at you until you actually say something worthwhile. Your summary is your second, and final rebuttal. I expect you to take 1 or 2 (3 if you're fast) of the round's biggest arguments at this point. The final focus is not meant for line by line debate. At this point, hand me clear voters and call it a day.

Speed: Chances are if you are spreading in PF you're literally just doing it for clout points you won't get. Mind you, I'm not saying you cannot speak fast. I understand how short four minutes is to get through a lot of information. Speak as fast as you'd like, but I will tell you to stop if I nobody can discern a word you're saying.

Speaker Points: I don't hand out 29s or 30s. If you're looking for presentation points, I suggest you go ahead and strike me right now. If you have a pretty voice, but terrible argumentation skills I'm not your girl. A 29 from me is rare, but very possible. My range is generally 27.25-29.25. I don't tolerate racism, sexism, misogyny, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, the list goes on. I will dock your speaks for those issues. If your opponent calls you out, you might even lose the round. If it's utterly abhorrent I will stop the round.

Lastly, I will not do any work for you. I'm not here to babysit you, or connect any dots that you may have missed. It is your job, and your job alone, to tell me why I should vote for you.

I'm an international teacher and former debate coach.

6 years judging at local, regional, and national tournaments

General: I'm a traditional judge. I like to evaluate stock level issues of the topic. Just make very clear weighing arguments and argument interaction. Please do not read any off position cases that are adapted from policy debate.

Speed: Please don’t spread. Moderate speed is okay, but I will not tell you clear. If I miss an argument, that is on you. So be conscious about your speed.

Specifics:

PF: I prefer to judge this style of debate. What was said above basically applies here. I will vote on offense with the best impact weighing.

LD: I will vote on the offense to the winning framework. Generic frameworks i will understand (ex: Util/Structural Violence. Remember, STOCK. So no progressive arguments like K’s. Plans/CP and DA i am ok with. General above applies here as well

I have been a coach and consultant for the past 28 years and done every debate format available stateside and internationally. I also have taught at Stanford, ISD, Summit, UTD, UT, and Mean Green camps as a Curriculum Director and Senior Instructor. I think no matter what form of debate that you do, you must have a narrative that answers critical questions of who, what, when, where, why, how, and then what, and so what. Debaters do not need to be shy and need to be able to weigh and prioritize the issues of the day for me in what I ought to be evaluating. Tell me as a judge where I should flow things and how I ought to evaluate things. That's your job.

If you would like for me to look at a round through a policy lens, please justify to me why I ought to weigh that interpretation versus other alternatives. Conversely, if you want me to evaluate standards, those need to be clear in their reasoning why I ought to prioritize evaluation in that way.

In public forum, I need the summary to be a line by line comparison between both worlds where the stark differences exist and what issues need to be prioritized. Remember in the collapse, you cannot go for everything. Final focus needs to be a big pic concept for me. Feel free to use policy terms such as magnitude, scope, probability. I do evaluate evidence and expect you all to do the research accordingly but also understand how to analyze and synthesize it. Countering back with a card is not debating. The more complicated the link chain, the more probability you may lose your judge. Keep it tight and simple and very direct.

In LD, I still love my traditional Value and VC debate. I do really like a solid old school LD round. I am not big on K debate only because I think the K debate has changed so much that it becomes trendy and not a methodology that is truly educational and unique as it should be. Uniqueness is not the same as obscurity. Now, if you can provide a good solid link chain and evaluation method of the K, go for it. Don't assume my knowledge of the literature though because I don't have that amount of time in my life but I'm not above understanding a solidly good argument that is properly formatted. I think the quickest way to always get my vote is to write the ballot for me and also keep it simple. Trickery can make things messy. Messy debaters usually get Ls. So keep it simple, clean, solid debate with the basics of claim, warrant, impact, with some great cards and I'll be happy.

I don't think speed is ever necessary in any format so speak concisely, know how to master rhetoric, and be the master of persuasion that way. Please do not be rude to your opponent. Fight well and fight fair. First reason for me to down anyone is on burdens. Aff has burden of proof, neg has burden to clash unless it is WSD format where burdens exist on both sides to clash. If you have further questions, feel free to ask specifics.

In plat events, structure as well as uniqueness (not obscurity) is key to placing. Organization to a speech as well as a clear call to order is required in OO, Info, Persuasive. In LPs, answer the question if you want to place. Formatting and structure well an avoid giving me generic arguments and transitional phrases. Canned intros are not welcome in my world usually and will be frowned upon. Smart humor is always welcome however.

I want you all to learn, grow, have fun, and fight fair. Best of luck and love one another through this activity!!

Tanya Reni Galloway

I enjoy analyzing the quality of evidence, persuasive techniques, and presentation style of all debate categories. I have judged all debate categories over the past 10 plus years including Congress, FX, DX, CX, LD, PF, BQ, and WS. I am an old-school purist. I judge all categories so I prefer that each category stays in its own lane. Having said that, I realize many students love progressive argumentation, so I say tabula rasa. I will judge the style they are trained in and give feedback accordingly. It is always about the student. My feedback and comments, on my ballots, are designed to empower the student to take their game in debate and life to the next level. I believe our speech and debate students are developing themselves as leaders and can use their skills to make profound differences when applied to areas of life that matter to them.

I also judge all IE events. I love OO, when done well, it is like a mini TED talk. I love to see the WHY. Why did the student choose the topic or selection? What resonates for them? In the categories which require acting skills, I really look for a connection between the student and the selection, when the student embodies the selection and becomes the character. I believe acting skills can build empathy and connection to the human condition. These students can use these skills and apply them in an area of life that they are passionate about and make a difference in the world. They can be the voice for others, who do not have the courage or opportunity to speak or perform in front of others.

I competed in high school and college and won awards in acting, singing, and public speaking events. I was a professional actress and trained at the Film Actors Lab. I am a trained toastmasters judge. I currently lecture on art as therapy. I was also the manager of the Communications Programs for the Dallas branch of a global personal and professional develop company, Landmark Worldwide.

I am an enthusiastic supporter of academic sports. Speech and debate participation provides cognitive and behavioral enhancement. It improves reading, listening, speaking, critical thinking, and writing skills. It also improves motivation and increases curiosity and engagement. I enjoy empowering the future leaders of our community and world. I encourage the students to take the skills they are learning and to apply them to areas of life that are of concern to them now, so they can make a difference and learn the practical value of their skills. It increases engagement for both at-risk and gifted students. I also think coaches are rock stars! Thank you for the difference you make each day with your students. It takes heart, dedication, patience, and perseverance, You are the one they will always remember.

LD 

I appreciate clear clash.  Keep a civil demeanor at all times. Points/contentions should be enumerated and each should have a tag line so I can follow along easier.  Do NOT talk too fast (no spreading).  I must be able to understand what you are saying if I am to judge you accurately.  Both competitors should stand during CX.  Don't assume I know what your "card" says and just use the card tagline.  Please restate the pertinent information from the card as needed to support your point. Value and Criterion are key.  Be sure to keep to the resolution as it is stated.  

PFD

Be sure to stick to the resolution as stated.  Keep a civil demeanor at all times.  A good clear logical flow is appreciated.  Points/contentions should be enumerated and each should have a tag line. All competitors can sit during Grand Crossfire. Individuals should stand during their individual crossfire.  No spreading.  I must be able to understand you. Do not verbally prompt your partner during their CX, however you may pass notes.  Presenting a good framework and logical, supporting points that stick to that are key.

I do not disclose or give feedback at the end of a round. 

School:

Marcus High School

College Affiliation:

Texas A&M Commerce

Years Judging/Coaching:

6

Frequency of Judging:

I have not judged much this year; mainly WSD and Congress.

Speaker Point Scale:

27-30 (lower for egregious incidents)

Stylistic Preferences:

I want to hear the resolution debated; that's the entire purpose of the round. I prefer traditional value/criterion LD cases. The quality of arguments is more important than the quantity. Speed is ok if I am on the e-mail chain and all arguments are included in the chain; otherwise, no spreading

Things not to run when I am the judge:

Pre-standards. K's. Theory just for the sake of running theory when an actual violation has not occurred in the round. As for impact calculus- do not run extinction arguments; they're unrealistic and I will vote probability over magnitude when given the option. I won't automatically discount plans and CP's but if there is something else in the round that is a viable option for me to vote on, I will. Topicality arguments need to consist of an actual topicality violation. I will vote it down if you run this nonsense topicality argument that the aff needs to narrow down the focus of the resolution instead of debating the exact wording.

For my general paradigm, I consider myself tab. There are no arguments I do and don’t like. I will judge the arguments presented in the round and I don’t want to impose my own beliefs or arguments into the round. You have to tell my why the arguments made in the round matter. If you fail to give me a way in which to evaluate the round, I will default to a policy maker. Being a policy maker, I am looking for the negative team to run disadvantages, counter plans, kritiks, and anything else. As a policy maker, I am looking for you to terminalize your impacts. Why specifically is nuclear war bad? Does it kill millions of people? Just saying dehumanization or nuclear war is bad isn’t an impact. I will gladly listen to counter plans, theory arguments and Kritiks. My only advice on the k is to tell me what the role of the ballot is. Why is my ballot key to your alt?

Topicality/Theory

I will vote on T when there is proven abuse. I need to see in-round abuse for me to pull the trigger. I think T is a legitimate tool for a negative team, but I strongly urge the team that goes all in for T to make sure they can prove in-round abuse. If the aff is just failing to make arguments on the T, I will vote for it, but my preference is for in-round abuse to be occurring.

Spikes
I am not a fan of LD 1AC spikes. I honestly don't think that the Aff gets to remove ground from the negative. I don't think these arguments are legitimate. Let the neg make claims and then argue against them. I will tell you now, that I WILL NOT vote on them. I see them as a waste of time for you to run and they are highly abusive. I also rarely vote on RVIs. If you plan on trying to run spikes in the 1AC, I am not the judge for you. I will give the Neg a lot of access to simple arguments to knock down your spikes.

Ethos

I think it is important that you are an ethical and nice person in the debate. It is ok for the round to get heated, but I don't see the need to be rude to your opponent. This will result in a hit to your speaker points.

Speed
I don't have a problem with speed, but make sure that you are clearly telling me your tags. Slow down on the tag if you can. Be clear in your transitions. I like next or and to let me know you are moving from the end of a card to another tagline. The same thing applies to your plan text or alt. Slow down for the plan text/alt or repeat it for me.

Simply put, speak so that I may understand you clearly.

LD:

Keep the debate civil. I focus on the framework, so the Value/Criterion are key. I want to see civility and no spreading or speaker points will be deducted. I want to see solid logic and analysis displayed. Evidence is not as important to me in LD, but it can be useful to develop your framework. Please stand for the cross examination if possible.

PFD:

Keep to the resolution. I focus on topicality here. I do not like Theory debates. Keep the cross examination civil. Spreading is discouraged, but no speaker point deduction is made unless it is too fast for me to flow or understand what is being said. Evidence is important and I will pay attention to how well the cross-examination is used to set your case up for success and/or set the other team up for failure. You can sit during Grand Crossfire. I do not like seeing partners verbally prompt the person who is doing the cross examination, but notes can be passed. Please stand for the individual cross examination if possible.

CX:

Spreading is OK, but don't go too fast or I cannot flow. Please keep the cross examination civil; however, I know it can get heated. I will deduct speaker points if professional behavior is not displayed. I also focus on topicality here. Cases that veer away from the resolution will not do well (assuming this is successfully called out by the opponent). Please stand for the cross examination if possible. Evidence is very important in this debate, but no new evidence can be introduced during rebuttal. I do not count debate prep time against the team when they are flashing their case to the other team; however, I will start the timer if it becomes excessive.

Overall:

I like logical arguments, so don't assume your arguments are connected just from the cards' tag lines. Not everything will lead to global thermonuclear war and human extinction. I also like to hear voters and appreciate off-time road mapping. Keep debate jargon to a minimum. I also appreciate any sign-posting you provide when presenting. I am OK with teams keeping their own time, but I will keep time as a back-up and provide hand signals upon request. I avoid disclosing at the end of the round, but I will give feedback to help with presentation style if time permits. Without warning, I may check during the round to ensure that all electronic devices are not connected to the Internet.

In PFD, I want to see organized cases with debaters directly clashing with opposing arguments. I want to hear sources with dates, in case I want to refer to them at some point in time. I would prefer to hear a few well-developed arguments instead of a dozen arguments that are only mentioned once in the debate. I don't think theory arguments are appropriate for this format. I expect final speakers to sum up why their side won the debate (voters). I expect all of the debaters to speak at a rate in which a normal human being could hear, process, and understand. I coached for a long time, and I really enjoy hearing sound, logical arguments.

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

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

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

At the end of the day, I believe debate is about learning how to both formulate arguments and effectively communicate them to your opponent and your judge. You have to have both informed content and clear speaking to be able to be successful.

Pfd

This event was originally designed to be judged by lay, or community judges and I prefer to judge it in that way. This means you should keep the debate jargon to a minimum. Make sure you address as much as possible in the earlier speeches. Summary speeches and final focus should flesh out those arguments that are the most important in the round. Keep polite decorum during crossfire.

Make sure to define key terms, if you don't give a definition and your opponent does I will default to their definition.

Keep signposting clear as possible, this helps everyone know where you are on the flow.

LD

I am a more traditional judge in this event, here is my paradigm in a nutshell:

Speed- if you begin to speak so fast that I can't understand you, I will simply stop flowing until you slow down to where I can understand you. The more you enunciate and are clear the better off you will be.

Value and crterion- your case should have some sort of standard, show the link between it and the rest of your case. I value the standards debate over the contention level.

Give voters at the end of your last speech, that is what I will look to first.

When referring back to a piece of evidence or an argument please tell me what it said, not "cross apply, or look at author x". I can't keep up with all of your sources. I am looking at the argument or evidence, which what I've written on the flow. In addition, I do not buy time skew arguments, when you signed up for this event you knew that speech times could be in your favor or against it.

Dear students and coaches,

Thank you for this opportunity to witness your hard work as your judge today. Feel free to ask any questions before we begin the round. There are unique challenges in this new virtual environment, so let's be sure to practice patience and forgiveness with each other. And most importantly, make sure to have fun!

BACKGROUND: Plano East HS, class of 2011; University of Texas at Austin, class of 2015. My HS debate career focused primarily on extemp (FX), congress, and ended with 1.5 years of CX (2A/1N, former Michigan camper). I also briefly competed in college extemp. Over the past ~7 years I have judged extensively across Houston and Dallas circuits in all debate events, including recently for TFA State and NSDA Nationals. I currently work in the energy industry.

CORE PARADIGM: Naturally, details will differ by event, but generally speaking I am a games player judge. In addition to general argumentation strategy, I want to see demonstration of three competencies in this round: 1) integrity, via demonstration of the relevancy of your argument/evidence, 2) comprehension, via clear communication of how your cards prove the point you are trying to make, and 3) curiosity, via direct, respectful clash with your opponent.

SPREADING: I'm comfortable with speed, although note that the more arguments you make, the more arguments you will have to defend. I am inclined to permit your opponent drop an argument if you dropped it yourself first. Generally, it is better to make one or two very strong arguments than to make ten weak ones. Also, given variability in wifi, slower speaking can also help ensure that your speech doesn't cut out during virtual tournaments.

CROSS-EX: Open CX is fine. In a world where school teams are sharing cases and resources, I need to see very clearly that you are understanding how your case works. I don't flow CX formally, but will be unimpressed if it becomes clear that you do not know your material thoroughly enough to answer questions about it. Be kind and respectful to your opponent. Do not try to use CX as extra speech time.

NON-TRADITIONAL ARGUMENTS: I have grown more open-minded to Ks and other non-traditional arguments. However, please don't abuse this style of argument to avoid building an actual rebuttal or engaging. Topicality and theory arguments are fine - I view this as a core part of the heart and governance of debate - but it is not a catch-all strategy. PICs are fine too.

I look forward to hearing your insights! Good luck!!

Kind regards,
Kelsey Sawyer

(updated January 2021)

Name: Aabid Shivji
Affiliation: Colleyville Heritage High School, Colleyville, TX

The number one thing before all else is that I see framework as the most vital layer of the debate. The number two thing is my threshold for extensions. I require a claim, warrant, and impact reiterated, otherwise I don't think the argument was actually extended. Other than that, see below.
I judge LD, PF, and CX, so this paradigm is in 3 parts. Go to your event to see that paradigm.

LD
Speaking
Go as fast as you want, but I have a pretty high threshold for clarity. If I can't understand what you're saying, I'll indicate verbally with either a "Clear!" or a "Slow down." I'll dock speak if I have to prompt you more than once. Everybody starts at a 30, and each speaking error or obvious strategic misstep will take you down from that. Saying something offensive will hurt your speaks significantly. Also, if you're going through a list of analytic arguments, slow down or give me pen/typing time so that I don't miss any of them, on the off chance that you decide to extend one of them later.
Framework
I don't think framework is a voting issue. If you win that your role of the ballot/judge/debate space is true, that doesn't mean you win the round unless you win offense under that interpretation of the ballot/judge/debate space as well. Similarly, winning that your standard is good won't win the round for you either unless you're winning offense back to it. I like to see burden structures worked into this layer of the debate, but I don't require a specific form/structure of "framework" as long as debaters tell me what types of impacts matter and how I weigh those impacts. That being said, I really do enjoy these debates.
"Voters"
You need to do the weighing for me in round. If I have to do work for someone to win the debate, both of you have done something wrong.Therefore, impact calculus is essential, but don't try to do that against oppression impacts. Saying things like "productivity outweighs gender violence" will do nothing but kill your speaks.
Argument preference
I don't really care if you run a plan, traditional case, kritik, or anything else, but just do it well. Make sure all of your arguments have all of their parts, even if they aren't necessarily labeled. That being said, I tend to enjoy good kritikal debates better than other debates.
The K (aff/neg)
If you read that last part of the paradigm, you're probably asking "what counts as a good kritikal debate?" If you're going to read the K in front of me, take some time at the end of your written speech file to slow down and explain what the K says to everybody in the room. Not enough kritikal debaters make a point of making sure that the judge and their opponent actually understand the argument that they just read. Be willing to explain, and I'll be a lot happier. Also, don't assume I've read the lit that you read because I probably haven't.
Theory/Topicality
I don't require shell format for these arguments, but I do require that you tell me how somebody is being abusive/nontopical, and what the effects of that abuse or infringement of topicality are. If you have to use these arguments strategically, I guess I can be okay with that, but I'd prefer T or theory to stay out of the debate because I find that these debates usually get super messy and are often extremely hard to resolve. Don't set yourself up for a bad decision

If you have questions about anything, I'm more than willing to answer them before the round starts. Happy preffing/striking!

PF
Framework
This isn't a voting issue. If you win that your interpretation for how we should debate the topic is correct, that doesn't mean you win the debate, you have to win arguments linking back that prove you meet your interpretation. I like seeing burden structures in this layer of the debate, but again, winning your burden structure is correct means nothing if the other team meets your burden. That being said, I really do enjoy these debates.
Evidence comparison
I find these debates are usually quite good. However, sometimes these debates take over other discussions about the topic. Evidence comparison is a good strategy, but don't forget to make defensive arguments and turns.
Impact calculus
Don't try to outweigh oppression arguments, your speaks will be docked, and I won't vote on the argument.

If you have questions about anything, I'm more than willing to answer them before the round starts. Happy preffing/striking!

CX
Framework
Not a voting issue- you still have to win offense back to framing issues to prove you best achieve the way you interpret the debate. That being said, I really do enjoy these debates.
Speaking
Go as fast as you want, but I have a pretty high threshold for clarity. If I can't understand what you're saying, I'll indicate verbally with either a "Clear!" or a "Slow down." I'll dock speak if I have to prompt you more than once. Everybody starts at a 30, and each speaking error or obvious strategic misstep will take you down from that. Saying something offensive will hurt your speaks significantly. Also, if you're going through a list of analytic arguments, slow down or give me pen/typing time so that I don't miss any of them, on the off chance that you decide to extend one of them later.
Argument preference
I don't care what you run, as long as you run it well. Make sure all of your arguments have all of their parts, even if they aren't necessarily labeled.
That being said, I tend to enjoy good kritikal debates better than other debates.
The K (aff/neg)
If you read that last part of the paradigm, you're probably asking "what counts as a good kritikal debate?" If you're going to read the K in front of me, take some time at the end of your written speech file to slow down and explain what the K says to everybody in the room. Not enough kritikal debaters make a point of making sure that the judge and their opponent actually understand the argument that they just read. Be willing to explain, and I'll be a lot happier. Also, don't assume I've read the lit that you read because I probably haven't.
Theory/Topicality
I don't require shell format for these arguments, but I do require that you tell me how somebody is being abusive/nontopical, and what the effects of that abuse or infringement of topicality are. If you have to use these arguments strategically, I guess I can be okay with that, but try to keep it to just one shell in the debate, because the more shells there are, the more confusing and muddled the debates become. Don't set yourself up for a bad decision.


Last thing: I'm not going to make being nice in round a paradigmatic thing, but please don't be an outright jerk. It's just disrespectful and rude. If a debater is treating you poorly, fire back, because nobody deserves that kind of treatment in round.

If you have questions about anything, I'm more than willing to answer them before the round starts. Happy preffing/striking!

I coach at Plano West Senior High School in Texas: LD, Public Forum, Congressional Debate and extemp (and some policy debate).
I have been coaching since 1999.

I can handle speed, if you are clear; if you aren't being clear, I will let you know.

My highest priority is impacts in the round. Having said that, I expect clear warrants that substantiate the impacts.

I like big picture debate, but I will vote on specific arguments if they become a priority in the round.

I'm pretty straightforward. I want debaters to tell me HOW to adjudicate a round, and then tell me WHY, based on the arguments they are winning and the method of adjudication. The HOW part would be something like a standard, or burdens. The WHY part would include the warrants and impacts/link story for the arguments being extended. I am not at all particular about HOW you go about accomplishing those two tasks, but without covering those components, don't expect a W. I need a clear framework, so I like it when some time is spent laying the groundwork at the top of the case. If you don't give me a framework, I will formulate my own.
I'm not a big fan of theory, but if a true abuse exists, I will vote on it. Keep in mind that if your opponent has a unique argument for which you are not prepared, that means you are not prepared, not that abuse exists in the round. I do not expect case disclosure and will not consider arguments that it should exist.

I want to see clash from the negative.

I fundamentally believe that the resolution is a proposition of truth and that if a truth claim is made, the burden falls on the person proving it true. Having said that, I'm totally open to other articulated strategies.