Whitson,+R.+Matthias

Debater: Manchester Essex Regional High School, 1999-2003; Emory University, 2003-2005

For the most part, I'm tabula rasa. In other words, I will listen to anything introduced during the round and will judge accordingly. However, I prefer rounds where the affirmative plan is weighed against the status quo or an alternative policy option. Critiques are okay, but they frequently miss the point in terms of telling me why voting for them is preferable to the affirmative plan.

I vote on topicality if there is (1) good definitional support, and (2) good reasons for in-round and future precedent abuse. My threshold for theory is a little bit higher. There needs to be a very good reason for me to vote for it - it cannot just be a small sound bite in the round. In general though, theory arguments - e.g., PICs and conditionality - are nonstarters for me.

In general, I appreciate good arguments, good strategy, and some wittiness (a good CX is a good way to get those extra speaker points - use it wisely).