Judge Philosophies
Brianna Laky - PLNU
n/a
Collette Blumer - CSUF
n/a
James Laky - PLNU
Im a parli debater at heart but in my twelve years Ive dabbled with all four major styles we
practice in the PacSW region (IPDA/TPDA, NPDA, LD, BP)
Tl;dr: Give me impacts and tell me why they outweigh your opponent. If you dont, Ill have to
do the work and you might not like the results.
K Debate: I love a good K. Consequently, that also means I hate lazy Ks. If there are major
components like Thesis, ROB, or any unique solvency then it will be very easy for your
opponent to non-unique the link level of your K. Solvency is the most important area of the K
and the most historically undercovered. Tell me how to sequence the K against case and theory.
If you dont; Ill probably weigh them equally and it will be easy for your opponent to win on
probability. Winning framework wont guarantee a win if you lose the rest of your K.
Theory: As a competitor, I was a theory hack, but that doesnt mean Ill vote for you just
because you run a spec sheet. I default to reasonability unless you say the words competing
interps. I wont ignore RVIs but I have a pretty high bar for voting on them. I dont mind if you
run Theory as a time tradeoff but you shouldnt mind if your opponent calls you out for doing so.
MG theory is pretty much my favorite but it follows the same rules as theory out of the LOR
Case: Case debate seems like a lost art to me sometimes. Leverage your uniqueness, warrant
your links, and terminalize your impacts. I love the cross-application of arguments from one
sheet to another. I evaluate counterplans as an opportunity cost disad, and perms as theoretical
tests of competition.
Speed: I can track with speed and have no fundamental issue with it; however, I do have a
fundamental issue with debaters losing access to rounds, so if you can speed, great. But if your
opponent cannot, pay attention to that because I will be.
Impact Calc: Without impact calc, youre practically guaranteeing that I have to intervene in the
round in some way. I typically prefer probability to magnitude, but Ill vote on any calculus as
long as you give me reasons to prefer.
IPDA: While I typically find myself being a primarily tech over truth style judge, I understand
the purpose of IPDA is to be a more persuasive form of debate, so I will tend to be looser on my
expectations for mechanics (though not on my desire for a clean flow.) That said, if you tell me it
is a policy, you need to have a plan. With solvency. And advantages. Most of my ballots in IPDA
tend to come down to framing arguments. If youre telling me how I should vote and that youre
doing that thing best, youll probably win my ballot. I do not flow cross-x.
What I would like to see: Be creative and weird! I dont know what happened but when I was
debating, we ran advocacies based on Star Wars and My Little Pony and Starcraft and Lovecraft.
Ive won rounds on the argument that Finland doesnt exist. Im in no way saying you have to be
outlandish but please take the chance on running arguments in a way besides the most obvious
path.
Bottom line: debate is a game. Be gamey. But be fair and fun.
Johnny Tapia - Cal State LA
n/a
Marcos Santos - Cal State LA
n/a
Melissa Deleon - Cal State LA
Background
- she/her/hers
- I competed in parli and IPDA for 4 years at Rio Hondo College and Cal State LA.
- I currently coach debate at Cal State LA & East Los Angeles College
- I prefer specificity when asked questions like: "How do you feel about theory?" That's kind of vague, so I might not give you the answer you want. Hopefully the answers you seek are found below.
- Yes partner to partner communication is cool
- I was hesitant to write a judging philosophy because you should run your rounds as you please, not as I please. Appealing to your audience is a fundamental aspect of communication, but it can also harm the authenticity of your advocacy. This is your round, find the balance & speak your truth.
GENERAL
- Be respectful to everyone
- Be mindful of your positionality in the world as you run arguments about others
- Don't misgender others
- I'm a fan of people first language (people that are homeless, people with addiction, etc.)
- You can still be fair while being strategic
- Debate is a game
- Be persuasive
IPDA
- This event is NOT an extension of parli
- Conversational doesn't mean structure isn't important = don't make claims without backing them up
- I like voters here
PARLI
- Sure, debate is a game where we engage in a thought process of imagination, but I tend to vote on real world impacts.
- I don't like voting for nuclear war
THEORY
- Procedurals/T: necessary when the opponent is unfair/not following rules
- I'll vote for articulated abuse
- Kritik: no thank you :)
SPEED
- Since speed is so subjective, feel free to speak at the rate which is most comfortable or necessary for you, as long as your opponent has access to the words you are speaking.
- If someone is speaking too rapidly, please slow them down by saying "slow".
- If someone is speaking in a manner that their words are unintelligible, say "clear".
- Please don't use the opponents method of delivery as a reason for me to "vote them down" if you did not first attempt to demonstrate that it was problematic. Fairness goes all ways.
If there's anything else you would like to know, please don't hesitate to ask me! :)
Rebel St. Lilith - CSULB
n/a
Rhiannon Lewis - CSULB
n/a
Stephanie Jo Marquez - CSUF
n/a
Toni Rutledge - PLNU
n/a