Reale-Hatem,+Matthew

I debated in Maine for three years and competed in a few tournaments on the national circuit. Since most of the debating I did was pretty traditional, I generally tend to prefer that style of argumentation. I go by the rules at the top of the ballot, everything else should be explained. That said, I am open to anything, as long as it is well argued and you explain it to me clearly. I spoke fairly quickly, but never made it into full on, double breathing spreading, so if that's all you do I might have trouble understanding you. Feel free to try it, and if I can't keep up I'll signal you. Your case should be well organized and make sense as a cohesive argument, not a disparate collection of quotes you borrowed from your teammates. Please don't try to evade your opponent's cross-x questions, I see this all the time. Just answer it as best you can, it's ok to be painted into a corner, dig yourself out in the next speech. I won't mark it against you because cross-x isn't scored, but it will make me sad. One of my favorite cross-x questions is "please summarize your case in 5-10 seconds." One of my pet peeves is when debaters use evidence and quotes so extensively that instead of rephrasing the evidence with their own words, they rely exclusively on the quote itself to speak for them. When you extend something, explain to me why it matters, don't just repeat it. Why it matters is not "I'm winning." I know you're winning if you are winning, I have my flow. Tell me what effect it has on the ideas, not the outcome. Please don't talk about the round and its outcome while debating (e.g. "This is game over." I don't care. I'd like to be able to hear your voice in your case, so that I can believe it's what you honestly think. Debate isn't a card game. These are ideas you're playing with, live ammo, and you should be invested in them. The most compelling arguments I've heard have echoed the debater's own thoughts on the topic, and they've come from circuit and traditional argumentation alike. I'm open to kritiks and the like, again, as long as they are clear in your own words. If you can't explain it to your grandmother, then don't say it. But say whatever you want. Debate should be fun and interesting and unexpected and never boring, because it is. If you look like you are having fun, or helping your opponent have fun, or if you make me laugh, then you won't get bonus points or automatically win the round, because that would be unfair, but you will receive the added benefit of having fun. Seriously, make me laugh. A coach once told me that what debate comes down to is showing the judge that your opponent is a facist, and everything else is just for show. Use of Dr. Seuss will definitely make me laugh, because he's a pretty philosophical guy.