FTN - Judge Philosophies

Judge Philosophies

Aaron Donaldson - Clark CC

I have enjoyed participating in the collegiate debate community since 2000. I have watched, coached, and judged primarily NPDA/PTE debate with some bits and pieces of novice NDT/CEDA and "World's" B/P thrown in. I think all debate activities are incredibly important and equally educational. In NPDA/PTE, I consider 25 speaker points (out of 30) as "average," 26-27.5 as "outround ready," 28-9 as "see you in the final" and 30 as outstanding. I do not typically give 30's to teams who do not create a welcoming and inclusive atmostphere, as I believe those aspects of our performances in-round are most important.   I try hard not to supplement justifications or warrants for or against arguments I engage as a judge.This means bad arguments that are not responded to can be exploited for a win, it also means dropped arguments that are underdeveloped in the constructive speeches may not get much weight in the rebuttals. It does not take much to develop the "arch" of an early argument, but one or two word phrases can quickly become suspect.   I believe procedural arguments are an important part of the "real world," that many parties will exploit these arguments and that for these reasons they are an integral part of debate education. I do not see much substantive value between debates about "the issues" and debates about debate, if anything I tend to lean towards the sides which argue that the rules to the activity that we play matter more than the imaginary worlds of our advocacy. I love a good T debate more than just about anything but I do not like 1-word arguments at the voter level of these pages. I think procedural arguments need to have clear consequences on the strategic decisions of the debate (this can include prep time) and that these consequences need to be articulated not only as reasons to prefer but also assesed as examples of why I should vote. I presume procedural arguments are strategic unless they are labled a-priore.   I believe critical or "kritikal" arguments are like any other argument. As with the procedural debate, if anything I tend to believe that the consequences for our performances, mindsets, and strategies in the educational activity we are all wrapped up in are more immediate than those of the imaginary world of our advocacy but those implications still need to be spelled out and clearly developed to win my ballot. As with procedural arguments I will assume these arguments are strategic unless they are labled as a-priore.   Counter-plan and/or Alternative debate (particular debates involving the theory and/or "status" of the C/P and/or ALT) is probably one of my weaker areas. Until I resolve that "blind spot" all I can do is offer fair warning.   I think rate of delivery has proven to be one of the most divisive and potentially abusive aspects of our activity. Teams who "weaponize" speed against new debaters or against those who, in my mind, are obviously struggling to participate risk losing the debate. If your opponents are fast I have no problem with fast debate - I will say "clear" or "slow" if I am struggling to follow. If they are not I don't mind so long as you are not excessively ignoring them, mocking them, or otherwise neglecting their attempts to participate. Most speed-bad arguments I have seen break down at the standard level, there is obviously no brightline, but more than anything I feel that debate should be inclusive and rate-of-delivery, among all else, jeopardizes that. Fast debate that is only repetitive can cost speaker points, fast debate that I feel is unneccesarily abusive can cost you the ballot.

Chris Reinhold - Clark CC

David Airne - U of M

4 years HS Policy; NDT 3 years and 1 year LD in college Coached HS Policy, HS LD, HS PF  NDT/CEDA, LD, IPDA and Parli for +10 years.   Upadated: January 2018 and also on Tabroom.com The quick overview to my judging is really simple. I judge things on what happens in the context of the round and it is up to those in the round to write that ballot for me. If you do not write it for me then you leave it up to me and I do not really want to intervene in the round, so write the ballot for me. So use the rebuttals to write my ballot. Asking me what arguments I like is silly, run what you want and if you are winning it then I vote on it. If you run things I happen to not like that just means you might have a higher threshold needed to win it, but if you are winning it then I vote for it. I typically default into a policy maker, but I am happy to vote wherever the round takes me. Finally, I will openly admit I do not give the highest of speaker points when compared to others (26-28 is pretty typical) but good debate warrants higher speaks when it occurs. Any specific issues you want to know about continue reading or just ask me since I am happy to tell you. However, note I teach, research, and publish in political communication (campaigning) and gender (masculinties, in particular). Those issues are difficult, at times, for me to step away from and while you are not debating against me as the juege, it can make it more difficult for me to evaluate the argument because it those issues are ingrained in my head and I see them in different ways that you may be arguing those issues (especially in Parli since we do not have access to evidence, but in evidence based forms that is different). That does not mean that you cannot run those certain positions, but they get a differnet listen than other arguments due to my work in the area. Framework: If you have a framework be sure you explain how it functions for me in the round. Remember, I tend to default to policy maker so without a clear explanation of it I will use that lens in the framework. So you have to tell me how the AFF/NEG views compete with each other. Critical Stuff: Never have had any problem with it other than I do not like them run poorly and I am not a fan of running them in the 1NC with other contradictory positions so that you can pick which arguments are your winners. It does need to be well developed and explained, especially in forms of debate where there is no evidence that I get to read after the round. Otherwise, feel free to run whatever critical arguments you want but be sure you explain how it compares to the AFF or NEG so I see how it operates in the world. Doing those things make critical arguments always great to hear. Traditional Policy Arguments: All are fair game. Be sure that you give me some way to evaluate the impact and show me how it relates to the AFF/NEG. However things like "RVI", or "T is a voter for fairness and education" do need some form of explanation. Your unsubstantiated claims are not going to work so well against one that is supported and explained. Parli specific notes--Points of order: You are welcome to call them, but just know that they are all under consideration and that is how I will answer to all of them. I tend to feel that me ruling on them has to potential to provide some unfair advantage for the team and it feels like a form of intervention since now you know how I "feel" about an argument so I just default to the under consideration answer to avoid that perception/advantage one side might get from the argument. Any specific questions you have please feel free to ask and I am more than happy to answer.

Denise Vaughan - UW Bothell

General information: I did LD in High School, CEDA in College and now coach NPDA.  I have been coaching for 8 years and have been involved in the activity for many more. I don't keep track of the specific number of rounds I have judged this year. More than 40. I am open to a variety of forms of debate.  Each round should take on its own form.  Any form or strategy is fine as long as everyone is the room can communicate.  I attempt to bring as little to the debate as possible although no judge can be totally tabla rosa. Arguments matter to me more than style.  I judge in a clear order. Kritik (if they are in the round) then procedurals (again, if they are present in the round) then case (government must prove that it is worth attempting plan) then weighing advantages against disadvantages.  Specific information: Topicality: I appreciate strategic interpretations of resolutions and will give a fair amount of room for the government to interpret the resolution.  They key is that everyone has some ground and some ability to debate.  I will also give a fair amount of room for novices to work on format and learn the rules.   Counterplans: CPs are great.  Condo is ok if well argued.  Disclose condo or no condo in the first speech.  My strong feeling is that it should not be about tricking the other team but going after a higher level of argumentation. I am not a huge fan of PICs. I would be open to argumentation on the issue. Points of Order are fine. The kritik: Kritiks are great--aff or neg.  Make a good, well-reasoned argument and have a reason for the K.  Then make sure to engage.  Theory: Great.  Go nuts. Disads: Cool.  Link them.

Drake Skaggs - Puget Sound

Background: I competed in parliamentary debate for four years for Whitman College on the national circuit. This is my first year as a coach. As a debater, I read a lot of politics and CP/DA strategies, blippy textual competition and T shells, and Neitchzx,.ej,we and Neoliberalism bad Ks. General Information:  I strive to be the kind of judge that I wanted in the back as a debater: flow-oriented, without proclivities for/against certain arguments, and willing to answer questions at the end of debates.  I am fine with speed and if I cannot flow you/understand you I will tell you to slow down or clear up.  I believe that debate is a game and you should use whatever tools are at your disposal to win the game.  You are best served going for strategies you understand and are capable of executing instead of complicated arguments that you think make you sound smarter. Debate to your strengths and you have a higher chance of picking up my ballot. Just because I read text comp and Neitchzizekwekljmk doesn't mean you should, especially if you don't understand the argument. One of the most important things for me is impact comparison and contexualization. At the end of the debate, I should have a good idea of what offense you are winning and why it is important. Discuss your impacts in terms of the opponent's impacts (i.e. DA outweighs and turns case impacts because...). While I will vote just as easily on generic strategies, specific strategies are better for education in debate and also much more interesting. I will reward you with better speaker points if I think your strategy is unique and interesting. I love warrant comparison. Tell me why your warrants are more specific, predictive, etc. in later speeches instead of just extending your partner's arguments. I will protect you from new arguments if I assess them to be new. If you think the other team is about to get away with a new argument and its critical to your strategy, go ahead and call the POO. I think debaters should slowly read and repeat all plan/CP/alt texts and theory interps for the judge and provide a copy to the opposing team if asked. Jokes are great and will get you extra speaker points. +.5 speaks if you make 3 good pokemon references in one speech (limited, of course, to the first 151 pokemon. -1 speaks for any reference to pokemon after Mew). Other favorite topics for jokes include anyone involved in the Whitman debate program, how bad/how much of a hipster James "First Place" Stevenson is, and how much Lubbock sucks. Speaker points range is subject to variance as a result of the above comments about jokes, but is generally between 27-29.5 Theory: If you are reading topicality and you think there is a chance you will go for it, you should slow down on your interpretation and read it twice, same when you’re answering as the MG. Far too often T debates come down the exact wording of interpretations and the LOC/MG was unclear/too fast for the judge to get every word. I will listen to your T debates happily, though I prefer to hear substance debate if it’s a viable strategy. I would say my threshold for voting on T is lower than many in the community; if you’re winning a controlling standard and effectively arguing why it’s the controlling standard, I have no problems pulling the trigger for you. I am amenable to all other theory arguments except spec unless you didn’t get a question, in which case you should read “you have to take a question” as a procedural instead, I’m much more likely to vote on that. It’s an uphill battle to win that one conditional counterplan is bad. Abusive PICS should have PICS bad/textual competition read against them. Kritiks: While I enjoy the K debate, I understand it better from a debate point of view than a literature point of view. I might even be worse read than Nick Robinson. What this means is that you need to be clear in the shell of your criticism, especially the alternative. Don’t assume I know what Heidegger says about Being, because I don’t. This doesn’t mean I’m stupid; I can grasp philosophical concepts as long as they are clearly explained. Real-world examples and big-picture moments will make me much more likely to vote for your K. When responding to the K, I think you are best off reading impact and alt solvency turns, and I love a good perm debate. Counterplans: CPs are good. Conditionality is fine. Make sure you have case-specific solvency. As an MG, make sure you create a substantial solvency deficit to the counterplan. I will assess that counterplan has durable fiat EVEN IF the aff reads arguments that say counterplan would never happen IRL (e.g., aff reads USFG should send Jimmy Carter somewhere, neg reads non-US organization should send Jimmy Carter somewhere, MG response "Jimmy Carter is usually associated with US policy and wouldn't travel with non-US organization" is not a responsive argument). DAs: DAs are good. Make sure your story is comprehensible coming out of the LOC shell; a good way to do this is to have summary phrases explaining the general thesis of the Uq/L/IL/Impx every step of the way if you think the DA is more complicated than normal. DAs that turn case are a good idea. DAs that are only competitive because of your PIC out of a tiny portion of the aff are a less good idea. I am in favor of more complete explanations of the status of bills in Politics scenarios, by which I mean I want you to tell me where the bill is (i.e. passed the House, in Senate committee etc.).

Janelle Davis - UW Bothell

General Information: I competed in Parley and LD in high school, NPDA and BP/Worlds in college, and now help coach both NPDA and BP/Worlds. I retain a respect for structure, creative and well-laid arguments, criticism of foundational worldviews, economy of arguments, and thoughtfully proposed alternate approaches to both debate and the world around us. Though I reject and find problematic the concept of a tabula rasa judge, I make an effort to see and set aside my own biases in order to judge a round based on the arguments as they are made by debaters. Specific Information: Topicality: In my view, this strategy exists to respond to blatant abuse on the part of the government and should be used to check power of interpretation rather than to avoid engaging inconvenient or unexpected arguments. As such, I consider it a court of last resort that is rarely necessary. Counterplans: An effective means of taking the offensive by rejecting false binaries in order to seek a third option. I respond well to counterplans that think about the problem and challenge the status quo in a different way. Kritik: A well-deployed kritik challenges fundamental assumptions and proposes alternate ways of approaching the world or the problem at hand. Used well, a K takes the debate to a deeper level and allows debaters to unpack the world in a way that plan/counterplan debate rarely does. If you are using a philosopher/theorist to back up your analysis, make sure you understand what they said and how others have used them, or you run the risk of looking silly and ill-informed. Ultimately, advantages and disadvantages rest on impacts, which rest on links. Calculating impacts should take into account probability as much as scale - high probability outweighs high scale as long as that probability has been demonstrated.

Kevin Stone - U of M

Making Decisions: My goal is to base my decision solely upon how the debaters argue I should decide; I avoid using my own decision-making philosophy as much as possible. I like to be placed in a paradigm by the debaters. This would be done by explaining what my evaluation process should look like and defending why that particular process would be preferable. When this doesn’t happen I will revert to what I see to be the most appropriate mechanism for making a fair decision (frequently a policymaker framework). I look primarily to the rebuttals in making my decisions (meaning you can’t split the block in that way) though I do trace arguments made in the rebuttal backward through the debate. Assessing Arguments: Dropped arguments still need to be placed within the context of the round and it is the responsibility of the debaters to explain what sort of impact the argument ought to have on my decision. I think it is necessary to supplement line-by-line argumentation with "contextualization." I feel that it is important to bridge the gap between arguments and the framework. I have strong viewpoints but I evaluate arguments based on the comparison of impacts made by the debaters. There are some arguments I probably would never endorse but I can’t imagine a debater ever making them ("rape is good" would be an example). Presentation Issues: This is your debate round rather than mine, as long as you are speaking intelligibly, there shouldn’t be a problem. Cases, DAs, CPs, Ks, T, etc.: CPs- I subscribe to generally accepted counterplan theory. Topicality- I think T is probably where I am most likely to deviate from what has been said above. I focus on the standards debate on topicality. The definition and voters are important of course but it is my opinion that they are more like hurtles that must be jumped for topicality to be a viable position whereas the standards are where topicality is won or lost. Offense coming out of the standards and critical offense in particular seem to be underutilized methods of making topicality a wining position. Kritiks-I am fan of critical positions but I feel that many criticisms are little more than non-unique disads. This is not to say that a criticism can’t be effective if its primary function is as a case turn, I just feel that to fully exercise the potential of the line of argumentation the debaters must articulate a sophisticated framework that explicates the roll of the position as well as its relationship to the critic and the ballot. I think one personally held theory belief that may distinguish me from the community at large is a rejection of the pre-fiat/post-fiat dichotomy. Debate is a game and an impact is an impact.   Again, I can be placed, with successful argumentation in just about any judging framework, and if a team is winning that that should be the case. This puts some added pressure on the debaters though, and requires a fully thought-out "system." I am not one to ignore arguments, I am open to whatever you have to say as long as it fits into the framework you are having me use for the round (or that which I have reverted to in the absence of direction from the debaters. My primary goal as a critic is to provide fair judication of the debate round, and I believe this can best be done by being open to what the students want say, and is best maximized when debaters articulate a specific voting mechanism to me. This makes the rebuttals quite important. If you have questions prior to the start of the tournament please email me at kevin.cascadia@gmail.com, otherwise, feel free to ask me in person.

Sara Seyller - Clark CC

I have enjoyed participating in the collegiate debate community since 2007. I have participated in, coached, and judged NPDA, IPDA, and BP debate. I think any form of debate is both fun and educational!! While I enjoy sharp, pointed styles I am averse to disrespectful treatment of competitors, and find that it detracts from the whole of the debate.   Overall, in each form of debate I am well versed in rules and expectations and hold firm to them.  They are there for a reason and ought to be respected.  This does not mean I lack flexibility, but it does mean that outright violations will be noted in nowhere else but in speaker point awards. In many ways I consider myself a hybrid, I am a flow judge with a speed govern of just short of ludicrous speed (IE spittle running down face as they gasp for air every few minutes), but I also appreciate arguments that use persuasive rhetoric and style rather than reliance on an excess of words to win solely by tabulating dropped arguments. As far as Procedurals, liked or otherwise, is becoming an important if not critical component to debating in NPDA.  As such, I am open to all forms of arguments so long as they are connected to the case, it doesn’t take much to make it applicable.  I am not a big fan of winning on dropped arguments alone unless the drop so large that the gaping hole left is enough to sink the case.  I leave it up to the competitors to set the rounds as they see fit.  In IPDA and BP there is a heavier reliance on style and persuasion rather than procedurals.  As such, I tend to be less about detailed flows and more attentive to the connections made both within the cases and through clash provided connected to the opponents case.  In these rounds, the devil is in the details.  I am most appreciative of competitors that can connect to the people in the room by explaining how it might impact us, why it matters to us, or the harms and benefits we would be exposed to should something occur.  Ivory tower syndrome, arguing so far up in the building that it become abstract concepts of competing theory, is extraordinarily hard to do given the time frame and is more often isolates competitors and judges from the argument rather than including them.

Judge Philosophies

Aaron Donaldson - Clark CC

Chris Reinhold - Clark CC

David Airne - U of M

Denise Vaughan - UW Bothell

Drake Skaggs - Puget Sound

Janelle Davis - UW Bothell

Kevin Stone - U of M

Sara Seyller - Clark CC

Sarah Rissberger - Puget Sound

Tyler Griffin - Bellevue

2014 Parli Championships, JV/Novice/First and Second Year

Judge Philosophies

Aaron Donaldson - Clark CC

Chris Reinhold - Clark CC

David Airne - U of M

Denise Vaughan - UW Bothell

Drake Skaggs - Puget Sound

Janelle Davis - UW Bothell

Kevin Stone - U of M

Sara Seyller - Clark CC

Sarah Rissberger - Puget Sound

Tyler Griffin - Bellevue