Long,+Hoover

Hi,

My debating background consists of three seasons of LD and one in Public Forum at the high school level. I did not participate in competitive debate at the college level but did engage in several heated exchanges over the comments section of the student paper during my younger years. I'm not proud of this, just wanted it out in the open.

I will not judge the round based on preconceived moral or political preferences. Think of me as a devil's advocate that is rooting for both sides. Both sides have equal access to my "open" ears, your job is to sway my mind.

While defining the framework of the debate is necessary, please do not be abusive with the terms and framework. Keep the debate on the resolution at hand but feel free to liberally use examples and arguments that might seem out of left hand. I have no problem with arguments that develop in such a manner as long as they are clearly and thoughtfully articulated out and easy to follow.

I'm comfortable with a fast paced debating style but will take off speaker points for what I consider "excessive spreading or speeding". Development of the argument and outlining the impact through to completion is important in winning the argument, and subsequently, the round. And I will consider the weight of points for "dropped arguments" by either side proportional to the weight assigned to it by the side initiating the point. Therefore, if you barely spend any time developing an argument, do not expect much an advantage when your opponent happens to disregard the particular talking point. Likewise, rebuttals to the crux of your opponent's argument are of utmost importance. I consider high levels of debate competitive banter and don't mind some witty exchanges as long as they're kept relatively civil.

CX should be quick and progress steadily through. I don't mind rephrasing of questions intended to clarify but am annoyed by repeated badgering when CX does not yield the intended response. Be assertive but move it along. Besides a select few rounds, I have not seen debates won or lost here.