Wood,+Ryan

I graduated from Norman High School (OK) in 2005. There, I was most active (and successful) in Extemp and IEs, but also debated. In terms of a paradigm for LD, I consider myself a traditionalist. I don't buy "CX" type arguments in LD. I feel as though they are two different types of debate for a reason, and if the strategies for either were to be mixed together, it would be one event. I'm partial to well-warranted claims. However, a debater must impact those arguments fully. I like out-of-the-ordinary values/criterions, but only if you can argue it well. Also, flow coverage is huge for me. A successful debater CANNOT win without covering the flow sufficiently. As for style, I think LD is a more formal type of debate. That said, I do not like spreading in LD, especially if you can't spread well. All in all, I think I'm a pretty open-minded judge. I'll listen to most anything, but that doesn't mean I'll vote for it.