Tabroom.com

Space City Swing NIETOC TFA Invitational

2023 — Houston, TX/US

Public Forum Paradigm List

All Paradigms: Show Hide

Ravi Alluri William P. Clements High School 1 rounds None

Sofia Barreda Langham Creek 2 rounds None

Jennifer Brown Hire 6 rounds None

Luis Carvajal Picott Seven Lakes High School 6 rounds

Wilson Chang Cinco Ranch High School 2 rounds

Last changed on Sun September 17, 2023 at 6:46 AM CDT

Background: Coach/Sponsor of Cinco Ranch HS (Katy ISD in Texas). 2nd year as Coach/Sponsor, 9th year as an educator. Did not participate in Speech & Debate in school. English teacher, so assume that I know how to structure an argument and can follow your rationales.

Event Type: PF

- Please keep the spread to a minimum. Even though I'm a coach, please treat me like I am a lay judge when it comes to speed. Don't spread like peanut butter and jelly.

- I do not know about theories/kritiks. Personally I find that their usage in PF takes away from the actual debating itself. You're no longer trying to argue the topic at that point, instead devaluing your opponents by virtue of some predetermined angle that serves your own needs. Please save these tactics for a judge that understands them. They will go totally over my head.

- Impacts matter more than just stating facts. Link the effect of your information instead of giving me a bunch of data and statistics without context.

- Don't get lost in topicality (arguing over the definition of a specific word vs debating over the topic as a whole).

- I do not need to be included on an email chain. That's for you and your teams to set up before we start the round. Please don't take up time in the round to set it up. Rounds are long enough as it is.

- Keep discussions focused on the topic. Deviation from the stated resolution will hurt your side, as will irrelevant arguments and thoughts. I will flow your case as you talk.

- Be civil and respectful of each other. Articulate thoughts and counterpoints without making it personal. Don't just browbeat each other for the sake of your argument. Let opponents actually finish a point or thought before responding.

- Bullying your opponents will not yield positive results on the ballot. I will not hesitate to stop you mid-round to address any potential instances of disrespect or negativity, dock your speaker points, and address egregious incidents with your coaches later.

- While not necessary, do your best to reiterate your team's position at the end of your time (aff/neg, pro/con). Nothing more embarrassing than laying out a brilliant argument for your own side, and then telling me to vote for your opponent.

angie chen St John's School 2 rounds

Brian Daniel Grand Oaks High School 6 rounds

Ava Daugherty Langham Creek 4 rounds

Mohammad Diwan William P. Clements High School 1 rounds None

Priscilla Eaton Langham Creek 1 rounds None

Salik Faisal Hire 6 rounds

Last changed on Sat October 1, 2022 at 4:41 AM CDT

Email: salikfaisal10@gmail.com

Experience/Background:

I primarily competed in Extemporaneous Speaking and Congressional Debate in High School. I've made it to TFA State twice and was an alternate to NSDA Nationals once in Domestic/US Extemporaneous Speaking from the Houston area.

Extemp/Speech:

I value analysis more heavily than the presentation, although there is a place for both. Don't try to force in a point or try to draw a connection that doesn't make sense just for the sake of adding another source or sounding more credible; I will notice this. Please don't fabricate sources; if I find out, this is a sure way to get you downed. I won't micro analyze every source you have, but I will look into it if I feel the need to do so. Quality of analysis always wins out in the end. Don't sound robotic in your speech and try to maintain a natural conversational style of speaking. It's fine if you're not the prettiest and most polished speaker, but make sure to communicate your analysis coherently and I can always appreciate a nice joke.

Congress:

Clever intros and pretty speaking are great, but your goal is to explain why to pass/fail legislation. I'm big on studies/analytics on the impact of legislation. I like clash and love great questioning; just make sure to be civil. POs should make the round flow smoothly and orderly, understand the process well, and show fairness and integrity in selecting speakers.

Debate:

I have some experience competing in Public Forum and have judged it plenty of times, so I know the event fairly well. I'm a fan of clash and questioning; just make sure to be civil. Good evidence and warrants are the gold standard for me. I like real-world examples and love statistics. In order to access your impacts, you must have a very good link. Wasting time and energy on hyperbolic impacts like extinction without solid links won't help you. In your final focus/ final speech, be very clear with your voters and weigh. If I have access to your case, I'm fine with spreading during constructive speeches. Slow down your pace in later speeches. If I can't understand what you're saying, I can't make a fair decision. I'm not a fan of K's, picks, theories, and other progressive techniques. If you're doing PF or WSD, stay as far as you can from this. If you decide to use these in LD or CX, you must be very good in your communication and position.

Jorge Gomez William B. Travis High School 6 rounds

kenya Idank Langham Creek 1 rounds None

Bright Ilochi Hire 6 rounds None

Murtaza Kazmi Seven Lakes High School 6 rounds

Last changed on Sat September 18, 2021 at 7:06 AM CDT

Personal Background/General Information:

My name is Murtaza Kazmi. I competed in Congressional Debate and International Extemp at Seven Lakes High School for four years.

I will not tolerate racism, sexism, homophobia, or any other form of prejudice or discrimination in round. If you or your partner display any of those characteristics, I will down you immediatley. I enjoy humor in round, but make jokes at your own risk. Debate is not a space for over-agressiveness. I understand sometimes speaking over each other, but do not be mean to your competitors - this will also lose points on my ballot.

Debate is a space to communicate, not to hate!

Congress:

Congress is both a speaking and debate event in my view - successful representatives will show skills in both facets.

Rhetoric should be used effectively (not just to fill in time in a speech).

Each argument provided must have quantified/qualified evidence (with sufficient sourcing including date) along with a tangible impact.

AGD's should be unique (not canned) and have an effective tie-in to the topic.

Speeches should have succinct "action claims" (etc. this bill will fosters economic growth).

Mention the different sections/resolved clauses of the legislation in your speech.

Speeches without conclusions (or ending with pass/fail) are incomplete speeches and will be marked down.

Refutation is expected and speeches without ref (with the obvious exception of the author/sponsor) will be marked down

Any rehash will be marked down

Go for alternative speech structures at your own risk (unified analysis, defensive points, etc.), but speech without offense is not a good speech imo.

Authors/Sponsors can do well on my ballot if they do a good job:

1. Explaining the Problem (with quality evidence)

2. Discussing the solution that each part of the legislation provides (with quality evidence)

3. Elaborating on the human impact of both the problem and the solution.

Crystal Speeches can do well on my ballot if they do a good job:

1. Group arguments from both the Aff and Neg into logical and general claims

2. Show new evidence and explains logically why one side is correct

3. Explores the argumentative and human impacts of one side being correct

Presiding Officers can do well on my ballot if they do a good job:

1. attaining or nearly reaching the maximum number of both speeches and questions in a session

2. maintaining decorum and parliamentary procedure at all times (including accurately choosing questioners and speakers)

3. limiting fluency breaks or awkward phrasing

4. making humorous remarks from time to time (when appropriate)

Extemporaneous Speaking (IX/DX):

Similar to Congress, I weigh both speaking and content with a slight preference for better content over better speaking.

Each speech should have a MINIMUM of 7 sources (1 in the intro, 2 in each subsequent body point).

You can try alternative speech structures at your own risk (eg. two points), but it must make sense in the context of the topic.

Intro must include AGD, effective transition, background information and significance, state question and answer.

All body paragraphs must have succinct claims with dated and quality sources with significant analysis and IMPACT.

I will appreciate book sources and local newspapers sources (in IX) a lot!

If your point doesn't make logical sense without the quantified/qualified evidence, it is not a good point.

You have to restate the question and brief answer in your conclusion.

Speeches without conclusions are incomplete.

Speakers that use tonal and speed variation, effective hand gestures, eye contact will rank better than speakers who do not.

Public Forum/Lincoln Douglass:

I am flay, leaning towards content, but bad speaking will lose a lot of points on my ballot.

I'm not well versed in theory or other progressive arguments, but if violations (eg. racism, homophobia, sexism, etc.) are made that are grounds for a loss, then you can bring them up in round and if I agree then I will down the other debater.

I prefer substanatiative debate over progressive (theory, disads, K's, etc).

If you do run progressive arguments, there must be a clear and solid link to the resolution.

Teams that explain their link chains and show their impacts and impact calculus better than the other team will win my ballot.

Weighing impacts is necessary to win my ballot.

If you drop an argument, link, or card and try to bring it back up, I won't weigh it.

Weighing should begin no later than the Summary speeches.

I am tech over truth unless something is blatantly wrong (eg. we will be extinct from a squirrel takeover of Earth).

My average speaks will be a 28 (from 25-30) and can go up/down depending on your performance in round.

David Kennedy Strake Jesuit College Preparatory 6 rounds

Feifan Liu Bellaire 6 rounds

Walton-Gray Martin Hire 6 rounds

Last changed on Wed February 1, 2023 at 10:59 AM CDT

Summary:

If you do not want to read all of my paradigms, here is a summary of the overall view. Personal arguments made against an opponent will result in an automatic loss. Spreading is extremely discouraged. All debaters should be respectful and professional. Debaters will be allowed to finish their sentence if time expires. Oral prompting not related to time will not be allowed. Please refrain from debate terminology as much as possible. I recommend making an argument if the validity of any evidence is called into question. I will generally not review it unless the situation and rules deem it necessary.

General Points:

Argument Types:

I am comfortable with almost any type of argument so long as it is well reasoned. However, if any argument is made specifically targeting the member(s) of the opposing team, the team making such arguments will automatically lose. There is no place for personal attacks. For example, if a team ran a critique against an opponent with difficulties pertaining to their eyesight, then I would automatically vote for the other team.

Speaking Style:

I am comfortable with any speaking style with one major exception. I am not a supporter of spreading. There is absolutely not practical use for speaking that fast. At the end of the day, debate is an incredible educational opportunity that can provide an amazing foundation for skills needed in the future. Spreading does nothing to help a student learn and create effective communication skills. However, I do understand that time constraints may require quick speaking. This is acceptable, but I believe a faster style of speaking is very different than spreading. To simply explain, if the speed of speech impacts the clarity and persuasiveness of arguments being made, then I believe that is too fast. I understand that still creates some ambiguities, and I am happy to clarify or explain further if needed.

Decorum and Attitude:

I believe all debaters should be respectful of one another no matter if they have won a national championship or never won a round. If there is any argument, style, or attitude that an ordinary person would consider to be disrespectful, then the team conducting themselves in that manner will find it far harder to persuade me. For example, if one team feels the need to begin yelling at their opponents, then I will find it far harder to vote in favor of that team. The ability to calmly, logically, and respectfully debate is something incredibly important to me.

Time:

I believe that an essential skill for a debate is effective time management. I will generally allow a speaker to finish their sentence or quickly finish their point. For example, I will usually not allow a speaker to continue for more than five to eight second after their time has expired. I highly recommend each team keep time for themselves and for their opponents. I will also keep my own independent time to verify.

Prompting:

Unless the rules governing the tournament say otherwise, the only oral prompting I will allow would be time marks. Other than that, all other oral prompting will be barred. However, if a team member wants to pass a pre-printed document, then generally I would consider that acceptable.

Vocabulary:

Please keep specific debate terms to a minimum. For the most part, their is no practical application for the use of these terms. Although I am a former debater and understand them, a team that is able to make arguments without using them will be more persuasive to me.

Evidence:

Unless the governing rules of the tournament specify otherwise, I believe the sharing of evidence, cases, etc. is up to the discretion of the individual teams. However, if one side calls into question the validity or authenticity of any evidence, I believe the accused team should produce the evidence to the other team. If it is not, then I will likely disregard the use of that evidence. I will not independently ask to see evidence, however, if the situation requires my review, then I will do so at the teams request. Paraphrasing should be in your own words, but it should essentially be the same as the source being paraphrased.

Debate Specific:

Public Forum:

spreading is highly discouraged
Strongest arguments are supported by sound reasoning and good authority
Weakest arguments are not well reasoned and/or not supported by authority
Unless the governing rules say otherwise, I highly discourage the advocation of a plan or counter plan. Instead, I recommend advocating for a general proposal if you feel it necessary. For example, if you want to advocate against the status quo, I recommend providing possible alternative options instead of specifying a plan.

Lincoln Douglass:

spreading is highly discouraged
I understand LD often gets deep into philosophical principals, however, I feel it is still important to clearly and accurately explain concepts in order to make a persuasive argument.

Policy:

spreading is extremely discouraged. Throwing as many arguments at your opponent as possible is not persuasive to me. Prioritize.

Aff:

has the burden of proof and will be expected to meet that burden in order to be persuasive.

Neg:

if a counter plan is presented, that plan will be held to the same burden of proof as the AFF’s plan

Congressional Debate:

chair shall follow applicable rules for recognizing speakers
The chamber shall follow applicable rules for procedure.
Respect shall be shown the all students and to the chair.

Armida Montemayor Hire 6 rounds None

Layla Nguyen Langham Creek 4 rounds None

Cindy Petrash Langham Creek 1 rounds None

Bryce Piotrowski Seven Lakes High School 6 rounds

Last changed on Sat July 22, 2023 at 11:35 AM CDT

Overhauled on 7/19/2023 for PFBC and the 2023-24 competitive season

Who am I?

Pronouns: he/him/his

Here's my experience. This largely does not matter, but it might help you get a sense of how I think about arguments and where I'm coming from before the round:

Co-Director, Public Forum Boot Camp, Minneapolis, MN: September 2021 - Present

Director of Speech and Debate, Seven Lakes HS, Katy, TX: August 2021 - Present

Assistant Director of Speech and Debate, Seven Lakes HS, Katy, TX: August 2020 - July 2021

Assistant Debate Coach, The Lakeville Debate Team, Lakeville, MN: September 2016 - August 2020

NPDA/NPTE Parliamentary Debate, University of Minnesota: November 2016 - March 2020

Public Forum Debate and Congressional Debate, JMM/Vel Phillips Memorial, Madison, WI: September 2014 - June 2016

Additionally, I serve on the PF Wording Committee for the NSDA. Your feelings on the current PF topic are partially my doing. If you would like to influence me one way or another, please feel free to email me or submit topic suggestions to the NSDA at speechanddebate.org/topics.

General Thoughts

This will be my 10th full year involved with speech and debate. I still absolutely love the activity, and I'm finding new depths to all aspects of speech and debate with each passing year.

Speech and debate is an inherently competitive activity grounded in vital critical thinking skills, including the skills of reading, writing, research, public speaking, logic, argumentation, and persuasion. The best competitors, no matter the event or arguments being made in the round, are excellent at all of these vital critical thinking skills, and more. The further away from being a competitor I get, the more I care about the educational and life-enriching qualities of speech and debate, and the less I care about the pure drive to win a tournament (though that still matters to me a great deal).

I have no strong preferences on the arguments that you make in the round, and I will evaluate any round based primarily on the technical skill exhibited by the competitors in the round. That said, I find it more enjoyable to vote for those competitors whose arguments are clearly excellently researched, written, and considered before the round.

My biggest non-negotiable rule is that you treat the community that you have voluntarily chosen to take part in with respect. Be kind to your opponents, your teammates, your coaches, tournament staff and volunteers, your judges, and (least importantly) me. While I firmly believe that speech and debate is vitally important, it's all an elaborate game at the end of the day, and I think you should treat the other players in the game as kindly as possible. If you intend on making the round unpleasant, either through poorly considered research skills, poorly considered in-round strategy, or poorly considered behavior, do us both a favor and strike me.

You should debate to win, and have fun doing it.

Debate

I don't think there is a big enough difference between debate formats to necessitate different paradigms for PF, LD, and CX. I think good debate is always good debate. Good debate should come from well-considered positions constructed from good evidence and presented in an entertaining, persuasive, and thoughtful manner.

Please create an email chain. Put bryce.piotrowski@gmail.com on the email chain, along with the corresponding Seven Lakes Google Group, depending on what format I'm judging: sevenlakespf@googlegroups.com, sevenlakesld@googlegroups.com, sevenlakescx@googlegroups.com. The subject of the email chain should clearly state the tournament, round number and flight, and team codes + sides of each team. This helps me keep email chains organized, which I frequently go through after tournaments to review arguments and evidence made at tournaments. Please create the email chain as soon as humanly possible, even (especially) if I am not yet at the room or if your flight has not started. Please be ready to debate at the round start time.

Evidence read in a debate should be able to withstand scrutiny well after the round is over. If you have read the above paragraph and are uncomfortable creating an email chain because I am going to "steal your prep" or "prep you out," I would invite you to consider what your ideal evidentiary standards in debate look like and whether the norms of distorting evidence beyond recognition, withholding evidence from opponents (even when that evidence is requested), being unable to produce the original copy or a cut card of evidence upon request, lying to opponents about evidence or source quality, or intentionally misleading opponents as to which evidence was read at a point in the debate truly lead to better debates, or whether they are a tool that you are attempting to use to gain a competitive advantage on questionably ethical grounds. If you feel called out by any of this, I'm a bad judge for you, and you should strike me.

At a minimum, you must follow the NSDA rules regarding evidence citation and its exchange. If you do not do that, I reserve the right to vote against you if I feel the violation is egregious enough, regardless of whether or not your opponents make an argument that you should lose because of your representation of evidence.

I would strongly prefer that evidence is read in the format of a cut card when first presented, and that you send a document containing all of the cards that you have read, in order, either immediately before or immediately after the end of your speech. I do not need anything that is not carded evidence other than plan texts or theory/topicality interpretations. If you refuse to share carded evidence with your opponents for any reason, including being "unable to find the card," I will vote against you -- that is a violation of the NSDA's rules regarding evidence exchange, and an exceptionally shady practice that I wish to punish with my ballot.

All things being equal, I would prefer that you read fewer individual cards and read more warrants from better cards. The trend towards reading a new piece of evidence every 10 seconds is antithetical to my request for well-considered and researched positions.

I will flow the debate carefully. Sometimes, I flow on paper, and sometimes, I flow on my laptop. My preferred rate of delivery is a quick conversation, but I can flow faster debates, and I will not feel bored by slower debates. My issues with rate of delivery typically stem from the fact that as rate increases, clarity often decreases, and I end up missing things. I will make every attempt to keep up with you and flow what I can understand from your speech. I will not read the speech document to fill in warrants or cards that I have missed. If you don't see me writing or typing for an extended period of time, it's because I can't understand you for some reason, and you should slow down or speak more clearly.

I would prefer to vote for arguments that in some way center a discussion of the topic. This is very open to the interpretation of the debaters in the rounds, and I will not dogmatically ignore certain content because "I don't want to hear it." I am frequently entertained and delighted by well-researched critical positions on both the affirmative and negative, huge extinction impacts, soft left high probability impacts, and everything in between. However, the more that your position could be copy-pasted from one month's file to the next, the less likely I will be to enjoy listening to it.

The above paragraph also encompasses my thoughts on theory, particularly in PF and LD. Most theory debates end up being tired and recycled, with debaters deploying these strategies with little regard for their applicability to the debate at hand. I'll vote on it, but I would be more enthused if you would pick a more interesting strategy, and your speaker points will probably suffer. That said, if you're reading theory in a way that contextualizes a specific violation to this particular round or position your opponents are reading, I will be far more interested in what you have to say. I have a soft spot for reasonability claims and creative we meet arguments from teams that may be technically losing theory, but probably have not done anything wrong. In short - if you have a different strategy, I'd probably prefer to hear that.

Topicality is different than theory, because it involves the affirmative's specific advocacy. I'm more than fine to listen to these debates. I'm a sucker for excellent, clever, and context-specific interpretations, and typically decide these debates based on questions of ground quality and quantity for each team.

Regardless of which strategy you choose to employ, you always need a link and an impact to win the debate. This also means that all advocacies, plan texts, etc., should advocate for something to happen and should defend the material consequences of that thing happening. Teams should debate the solvency of the advocacy more.

It will dramatically help you to spend a lot of time in the last couple of speeches explaining why the links and impacts you have chosen are the arguments that will win the debate, rather than just arguments that could win the debate, through evidence comparison, weighing, and impact calculus.

I will time the debate, generally on an analog timer that will beep when your time is up. I will flow everything that you say up until the timer beeps. You are free to keep talking after the timer goes off, but it will not go on my flow. If you keep talking for a ridiculously long time after the timer goes off, I will probably cut you off and act annoyed. I will also time cross-x and prep time. Please clearly tell me when you are starting and stopping prep time. Timer shenanigans will result in decreased speaker points.

Unless the tournament expressly forbids disclosing the round's result (UIL, NSDA Nationals, etc.), I will disclose my decision and what set of arguments led me to that decision at the conclusion of the round, in as much detail as I possibly can fit into the time I have to render and deliver a decision. You are always welcome to ask additional questions at any time, as long as you're being reasonable and respectful.

Congress

Most of my thoughts on debate, above, apply here. Congress is best when speakers engage in a deep debate on the couple of issues of clash that are most obviously presented by the legislation that is presently being debated. Think of yourself as "working with" speakers on your side and "against" opposing speakers to advance debate on the item on the floor.

I am more interested in hearing the round progress as a PF, LD, or CX round would. That means the first couple of speeches should set up constructive arguments, the middle couple of speeches should introduce lots of refutation and extension of arguments that came before them, and the later couple of speeches should synthesize the arguments made on the item and paint a compelling picture as to why each side has overall won the debate. If we're getting to the 6th or 7th cycle of debate, you would probably do better to save your precedence for the next item up for debate.

In general, I think Congress should debate more bills and have fewer cycles of debate on each bill. I also think Congress would be way better if each chamber was run more similar to a speech tournament - with each round having 10 competitors, 1 or 2 adults serving as the PO and scorers, and each round having a single specified item that everyone gives one speech on. I think this would standardize the role of each speech across each cycle of debate, eliminate the randomness and unfairness of scoring a PO alongside speakers, and ensure all students were scored based on a roughly equal amount of participation in the round.

If you're the PO and I have to score you as a speaker: you'll start as my 5. A PO will improve if I think debate in the chamber is bad, they have clear and consistent procedures for recognizing speakers, questioners, and motions, and if they minimize delays to facilitate the most debate possible. The PO will be harmed if there are many excellent speakers, making it difficult for them to stand out, or their procedures are inconsistent or unclear.

Delivery is secondary to content, but can still influence your rank, especially when poor delivery makes it difficult to follow your content.

Please do not yell at or over each other during questioning.

Speech:

I do not have a strong preference on what you're bringing to the table with your piece, and I doubt that you're going to change much because I'm on your panel. That's more than fine. You do you, and I'll evaluate it and try to leave my thoughts and helpful feedback.

I come from a debate background, where truth often goes out the window and I'm evaluating arguments as close to a blank slate as possible. I will likely be evaluating the technical merits of your piece more than other judges you might have (e.g., blocking, precise rhetoric, structure of a body point, etc.) and using those to determine my ranks more than some big picture stuff (e.g., how did it make me feel, do I think your piece is 'important', etc.)

I am more familiar and comfortable judging public address events (Extemp, Oratory, Informative) than Interp. I have no theater or acting background. That said, one of my favorite speech events to judge is POI - it's all of the best parts of interp combined with the research and argument synthesis of debate.

If you're in Extemp, follow this checklist: explain why the question is important to ask, answer the question, explain why your answer is the best answer to the question and not just ananswer to the question, and make good arguments. Everything else is secondary.

Apurv Prabhakar Hire 2 rounds

Robert Roycroft Langham Creek 2 rounds None

Kristen Schulze Langham Creek 1 rounds None

Sonya Smith Hire 6 rounds

Tiffany Smith Langham Creek 1 rounds None

Gurjinder Toor Hire 6 rounds

Audrey Wang Bellaire 6 rounds

Last changed on Sun September 17, 2023 at 4:36 PM EDT

she/her

bellaire LW

add me to your email chain

audreyw8ng@gmail.com <-- also use this for questions before round if u have any

if ur not a pfer/lder, im lay

that being said

for pf/ld:

i literally don't care about frameworks and it's def not a voter for me (for pf. fw matters in ld)

tech > truth unless it's super dumb

i don't flow cross so if you want it to end up on my flow, bring it up in the next speech

TIME YOURSELF AND EACH OTHER. BE HONEST. please don't go more than 5 seconds overtime on ur speeches lol it's so annoying

there's no such thing as sticky defense. if it's dropped at any point i dont care anymore

extend and extend well

if it's not mentioned before or during first summary i will not evaluate it. anything new after second summary will NOT be evaluated (pf)

do not try to run 10 contentions and extend the ONE that ur opponent drops pls.

no theory cause idk how to evaluate it. any theory but especially disclo is an auto down tbh

i can deal with some speed... maybe.... but def don't spread (if u do, send speech doc so i have some chance of catching the important stuff)

SIGNPOST SIGNPOST SIGNPOST (not just before speeches)

WARRANT WARRANT WARRANT

be nice

weigh (not just "we outweigh." i need warranting like "we outweigh on magnitude because we affect 100 million lives and they only affect 20 million" or something like that)

im pretty nice with speaker points except if ur mean/aggressive. u getting aggressive will only drop ur speaks. 28 is usually the default. 29 is common, but 30 is pretty rare.

no racism, homophobia, or anything offensive of any sort. i will literally give you as low speaks as possible.

if u make a blackpink reference i might bump ur speaks up, not by a lot, but it does something i guess (unless u get aggressive/racist/homophobic/etc at any point during the round)

preflow before you go in the room (unless we're flipping in the room)

ask any questions before round if u have any

make it fun not boring. i want to be interested in the round

write my ballot for me, don't make me think too hard, i'm not too good at that

i understand tech problems, but i'm not gonna wait for 5 minutes for you to pull up a card, 2-3 minutes max (this is already generous honestly), everything after is a drop in speaks (.5 speaks every 10 extra seconds. this will be the only timing i do for you in the round lolll)

on the topic of cards. please have good evidence ethics.

don't post-round. my decision is final i dont need you to give me 10 reasons why you think you should've won when i already finished my ballot. i probably won't disclose end of round just to avoid this however if you have any questions after round feel free to email me, i can't guarantee an immediate response, but i'll respond eventually, also lmk that i judged you so i dont think ur some rando who got my email from nowhere. again, do not try to use this as a way to change my pov; it won't. this is only for asking any questions regarding my comments.

title the email Round # and your school code (ex: R3 Bellaire LW or Semis Bellaire LW)

Brian White Langham Creek 2 rounds None

Brandon Wu Hire 6 rounds

Last changed on Fri December 17, 2021 at 3:19 PM EDT

Hello! I competed for four years at Klein High School (2016-2020) mainly in PF and Extemp, typically on the local circuit with a few national circuit tournaments here and there (#smallschool). I now study International Political Economy at Georgetown University. Paradigm is in order of events that I'm most likely to end up judging.

======================================================================
PF - for less experienced teams:

In your constructives/cases, try to craft arguments that clearly explain how you access your impact; generally, I prefer impacts that can be measured and linked well to what you're saying.

For rebuttal, respond to each argument in the order they're presented (line-by-line). Second speaking team's rebuttal should provide some defense of their case (responding to your opponents' args in first rebuttal). Also, please provide a roadmap (the order of which sides you'll be addressing) at the beginning of your speech, starting after second rebuttal!. Finally, while giving the speech, please tell me which arguments you're addressing/defending (ie: to respond to my opponent's Contention 1....).

For summary, I think collapsing is important in addition to covering both sides. Explain to me the most important arguments in the round (re-mentioning the claims, warrants, and impacts) and why you're winning them. Moreover, you should give reasons why your opponents are not winning their arguments by repeating/extending the responses your partner made in rebuttal (aka defense). I advise against bringing up new arguments in the second summary speech.

For final focus, you should only bring up arguments that were mentioned previously in the debate round (so no new evidence/arguments). Give me reasons to vote for you and help write my ballot for me. A big picture final focus that incorporates elements from your partner's summary will help win you my ballot.

A few other things: I won't vote off of crossfire arguments, please time yourself and your opponents, and pre-flow before round! If you have questions about my decision and your coach is cool with it, feel free to reach out via email at brandonw2002@gmail.com or message me on Facebook.

======================================================================
PF - for more experienced teams:

TL;DR: Tech > truth, roadmap/signpost, extend offense at the link/impact level in summary & FF (2nd rebuttal encouraged), weighing & collapsing are must-haves, no new args in the second summary and beyond, I default 1st speaking team with no offense, don't be rude or run arguments that are uninclusive, & ask me any questions before/after round.

1) Tech > truth unless it's offensive, homophobic, sexist, ableist, or racist (which will result in an L20). Framing/weighing mechanisms are great – the earlier they're introduced, the better. Roadmaps & signposting are a must.

2) Second rebuttal should frontline at least turns (otherwise up to you strategy wise). For both rebuttals, don't read new contentions as an "overview," disads are fine.

3) Arguments should be extended at the link and impact level - extensions should include card names with a summary of the evidence (Hapner '19 says xyz). This includes turns - so if you extend a turn, explain how it links into an impact! Both teams should extend args in summary & FF, and I encourage extensions in second rebuttal.

4) Speedwise, I'm a 7/10 in-person, 5 for cases & 6 for rebuttal-onward online. Speaks will be evaluated based on word economy, fluency, and strategic choices you make in the round (starting at a 28). Collapsing and strong weighing = high speaks! Incorporating some persuasive rhetoric is great in FF, as opposed to just giving a sped up summary.

5) Both teams should be able to extend defense in summary. Please don't read "new in the two" (second summary onward) - reading new evidence or analysis is a disadvantage to the first speaking team, and your speaker points will be docked.

6) Another important part of weighing is evidence comparison, so please tell me why I should prefer one piece of evidence over another (i.e. postdate, methodology, etc.), so that it won't be left to me to decide 5 minutes before I write my ballot. I will ignore misrepresented evidence from my decision, and it will harm your speaks.

7) Crossfire shouldn't be a shouting match. Use common sense - don't be rude, don't cut people off, etc. I won't explicitly flow crossfire, so make sure anything important you want me to consider is in a speech.

8) I will try to disclose (if allowed) if I think I'm able to make a reasonable decision within ~3 minutes after the end of second final or after I call evidence. I will likely disclose in all elim rounds unless you would like me not to (please let me know before hand).

9) If there's no offense at the end of the round, I'll default to 1st speaking team (given the structural advantage that 2nd speaking team has in terms of extending offense).

10) I may be lost if you try to read progressive arguments in front of me, but if it's explained very at a regular pace & explained well, I will attempt to evaluate it. Don't bank on it as a voter though (so if you plan on running disclosure, tricks, or 30 speaks theory, may want to strike me). If your opponent is clearly unfamiliar with theory/progressive argumentation, don't read it.

Debate is meant to serve as an activity in which you can continually improve. Feel free to message me on Facebook or email me at brandonw2002@gmail.com if you have any questions about my decision or about my paradigm; also, I'd be happy to answer your questions before round starts!

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Extemp:

1) Organization of your speech is critical to help me understand your analysis – I like the seven part intro (or at least most of the elements: AGD, link, source, significance statement, question, answer preview) and on-tops (transitioning between points by using facts/jokes). If you have no idea what I'm talking about here, don't worry – all I ask is at least for a roadmap in the introduction.

2) Throughout the speech, make sure you're clearly linking back to the question. If it's a why question, make sure you're telling me why. Going over history/context should be reserved for the intro!

3) I appreciate slower-paced speeches, but if you're clear and understandable at a faster pace, go for it. Try to use hand gestures just to emphasize specific things, otherwise leave at your side. Vocal inflection/tonal variety is always great.

4) ~Two sources per point indicates to me strong grasp of source integration into your analysis, but try not to sound like you're just reading off evidence like in a debate round. Incorporate your own thinking into it! Also, using more credible thinktanks/institutions/research studies will strengthen your analysis.

Similar to what I said in my PF paradigm, the great thing about speech events and tournaments in general is how you can track your improvement. Feel free to message me on Facebook or email me at brandonw2002@gmail.com if you have any questions about my feedback; also, I'd be happy to answer your questions before round begins.

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Speech & Interp: Because I was obliged to compete in platform events my freshman and sophomore year, I have some background in speech but not much in interp. For interp events, I'll be evaluating you based on the TFA/published ballot categories. Here are a few things specifically for speech (for future sake too!):

1) Have a roadmap very clearly in the introduction. I appreciate a good device :)

2) Content is what helps you stand out in platform speeches – having good source integration is always a plus in prepared speech events!

3) Organization is crucial for me to understand what you're trying to get at – having a bunch of ideas that don't really seem related will affect your ranking.

4) Make sure you don't overuse hand gestures, just use them for emphasis. Any pace you're comfortable with works as long as you're clear and understandable.

5) Try to be as close to the time limit as possible without stalling/being repetitive – the more content the better!

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Congress: I did some Congress, mainly TFA + some NSDA Senate. See Extemp for certain pointers on how I evaluate 'extemporaneous' speech events. I appreciate solid analysis with sources in speeches, and clash is highly encouraged even starting with the First Negation speech. The PO will almost always make my ballot (esp. if they volunteer!), though I will usually rank good speakers in the room higher.

First Affirmation and First Negation speaker should break down the description & effects of a piece of legislation. Generally quality > quantity in terms of number of speeches. Make sure you're active in the chamber for questioning (esp. when no one else wants to question).

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World Schools: I have little experience with Worlds, but please signpost so I can keep up with where you are on the flow. Remain engaged in the round through POIs. Weighing/argument comparison is appreciated in the last few speeches, and engaging with your opponent's arguments is critical. Will update this portion of the paradigm if/when I judge more.

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Policy/LD: The only experience I've got in these two events are a few rounds of UIL Policy & LD (traditional), but I (hopefully) should be able to flow the round. I prefer traditional over progressive argumentation, and make sure you're weighing/signposting throughout the round. See my PF paradigm on other topics (e.g. speed), and feel free to ask me questions before the round on anything specific!

Edward Wu Memorial High School 6 rounds None

Meghan Avis Yen Bellaire 3 rounds

Last changed on Fri June 23, 2023 at 9:11 AM CDT

TL;DR: If it’s not on my flow it doesn’t exist. If I can’t explain the argument to you in oral critiques/on my ballot I won’t vote on it. Disrespect, discrimination, or rudeness will cost speaks or, if severe enough, the round. Also, I agree with Brian Darby's paradigm. Go read that and come back here for specifics.

If the words "disclosure theory" are said in the round I will automatically give the team that introduced it the down.

General: I won’t do the work for you. I am tech unless the argument being run is abusively false (Ex: The Holocaust was fake; the Uyghur camps in China are #FakeNews; the sky is red; etc.). I don’t care what you run or how you run it (with a few exceptions below). You need to weigh, you need to explain why you won, you need to extend, you need to signpost. At the end of the round, I want to be able to look at my flow and be able to see clear reasons/arguments why one particular side won the round. I don’t want to have to do mental gymnastics to determine a winner and I hate intervening. Do I prefer a particular style? Sure, but it doesn’t impact my flow or my decision. If you win the argument/round (even if I don’t enjoy it) you won the argument/round.

Style Preference

Email chains/Cards

Don't put me on the chain. You should be speaking slow enough that I don't need to read the speech docs in round to keep my flow clear.

Flow Quirks

First, I still flow on paper - not the computer - keep this in mind when it comes to speed of speech. I kill the environment in Policy by flowing each argument on a different page. Be kind and let me know how many pages to prepare in each constructive and an order to put existing flows in. I flow taglines over authors so, let me know what the author said (i.e. the tag) before you give me the analysis so I can find it on the flow.

Speed

SLOW DOWN ON TAGLINES I used to say I’m good with LD level of spreading but Policy was too much. In today’s world, I definitely feel like that has flipped as I have had more trouble with the speed in LD rounds versus Policy. In the physical world if you ever go too fast I will throw down my pen and cross my arms. In the virtual world, I suggest you start slow because tech and internet speed has proven to be a barrier for spreading, but I will give you two warnings when you start skipping in and out or when you become unclear. After two, unless it’s an actual tech issue, I’ll stop flowing.

Timing

Prep time ends when you press "send" for the doc OR when the flash drive leaves your computer (or in PF when you stand to speak). That being said, I don’t time in rounds. You should be holding each other accountable.

Speaks

I generally start at 28 and work my way up or down. As a coach and a teacher I recognize and am committed to the value that debate should be an educational activity. Do not be rude, discriminatory, or abusive – especially if you are clearly better than your opponent. I won’t down you for running high quantity and high tech arguments against someone you are substantively better than, but I will tank your speaks for intentionally excluding your opponent in that way. It can only benefit you to keep the round accessible to all involved.

Argumentation

PF Specific

Nothing is "sticky." If it is dropped in summary I drop it from my flow and consider it a "kicked" argument or you "collapsed" into whatever was actually discussed. Do not try to extend an argument from rebuttal into Final Focus that was not mentioned in summary. I will not evaluate it. Don't run Kritiks - more info below

Framework

If you have it, use it. Don’t make me flow a framework argument and never reference it again or drop it in your calculations. LD: Be sure to tell me why you uphold your FW better than your opponent, why it doesn’t matter, or why your FW is superior to theirs. Do not ignore it.

Kicks

I’m fine with you kicking particular arguments and won’t judge it unless your opponent explains why I should, but it won’t be difficult for you to tell me otherwise.

Kritiks

LD/CX: If you aren’t Black, do not run Afropessimism in front of me. Period. End of story. In fact, if you are running any K about minorities (LGBTQ, race, gender, disabilities, etc.) and you do not represent that population you need to be VERY careful. I will notice the performative contradiction and the language of your K (Afropessimism is a great example) may sway my vote if your opponent asks. Anything else is fair game but you need to explain it CLEARLY. Do not assume I’ve read the literature/recognize authors and their theories. You decided to run it, now you can explain it.

PF: Don't run this in front of me. You don't have time to do it well, flesh out arguments, and link to the resolution. I will most likely accept a single de-link argument from your opponents or a theory that Ks in PF is bad. For your own sake, avoid that.

Structural Violence

Make sure that you understand the beliefs/positions/plights of your specified groups and that your language does not further the structural violence against them. These groups are NOT pawns for debate and I will impact your speaks if you use them as such.

Theory

You can run it (minus disclosure), but if your impact is “fairness” you better explain 1) why it outweighs their quantitative impacts and 2) how what they are doing is so grossly unfair you couldn’t possibly do anything else. If you run this I will not allow conditionality. Either they are unfair and you have no ground, or you have ground and their argument is fine. Choose. Do not run theory as a timesuck.

Tricks

Strike me. I don’t know what they are, I will probably miss them – just like your opponent – and you and I will both be wasting our time on that argument.

Congress

My interpretation of Congress debate is a combination of extemporaneous speaking and debate. The sponsorship/authorship and first opposition speech should be the constructive speech for the legislation. The rebuttals should build on the constructives by responding to arguments made by the opposing side. Both styles of speech should:

Engage with the actual legislation, not the generalized concepts,
Have clear arguments/points with supporting evidence from reputable sources
Have a clear intro and conclusion that grabs the audience's attention and ties everything together
Articulate and weigh impacts (be sure to explain why the cost is more important than the lives or why the lives matter more than the systemic violence, etc.)

Rebuttal speeches should clearly address previous speeches/points made in the round. With that in mind, I will look more favorably on speeches later in the cycle that directly respond to previous arguments AND that bring in new considerations - I despise rehash.

Delivery of the speech is important - I will make note of fluency breaks or distracting movements - but I am mainly a flow judge so I might not be looking directly at you.

Participation in the chamber (motions, questioning, etc.) are things I will consider in final rankings and generally serve as tie-breakers. If two people have the same speech scores, but one was better at questioning they will earn the higher rank. Some things I look for in this area:

Are your questions targeted and making an impact on the debate of the legislation OR are they just re-affirming points already made?
Are you able to respond to questions quickly, clearly, and calmly OR are you flustered and struggling to answer in a consistent manner with the content of your speech?
Are you helping the chamber move along and keep the debate fresh OR are you advocating for stale debate because others still have speeches on the legislation?
Did you volunteer to give a speech on the opposite side of the chamber to keep the debate moving OR are you breaking Prop/Opp order to give another speech on the heavy side?

Presiding Officer

To earn a high rank in the chamber as the PO you should be able to do the following:

Follow precedence with few mistakes
Keep the chamber moving - there should be minimal pause from speech to questioning to speech
Follow appropriate procedures for each motions - if you incorrectly handle a motion (i.e. call for a debate on something that does not require it or mess up voting procedures) this will seriously hurt your ranking

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