Shearer,+Shawn

 ’82 to ’86 West Des Moines Valley High School (TOC qualifier) ’86 to ’90 University of Iowa (NDT – four time qualifier) ’88 to ’92 Summer lab instructor at Iowa, Baylor, American, Georgetown & Dartmouth ’90 to ’93 Assistant Coach University of Iowa ’93 to ’95 Judged a few tournaments per year at both college and highs school levels ’10 to present Judged about twenty high school rounds per year
 * Background **

Current Affiliations – Highland Park High School (TX) & Dallas Urban Debate Alliance


 * Thoughts **

I will evaluate anything you present with a justification for me deciding in your favor. Speed is fine (if comprehensible).

Kritiks – during the fifteen years I was absent from the activity, the Kritik arose. I am not as up on the K theory as others and I am not well read on all of the K literature. That being said, I have judged numerous K debates and have been just fine. It’s better than judging competitiveness on a socialism, anarchy or WOMP counterplan (that’s a joke for you older ones out there). What I have found is this. First, the alternative needs to be clear or, if there is no alternative, make sure the application to the affirmative is clear. Second, if you are critiquing the affirmative’s assumptions or rhetoric, please tell me what the issue with the assumption or rhetoric is, and how the critique applies. In too many rounds I have struggled, despite listening to the entire round, to find the link to the K. Third, in a lot of cases, I have found myself determining affirmative perms often demonstrate the lack of a link, usually because the negative does not spend the time working on why the perm still gets the K link or enough time on the severance theory.

Counterplans (all types, PICS, process, agent, etc.) – love all debates about them. That said, I can be persuaded that any controversial type of CP should be rejected for theory reasons. Unless the debaters tell me otherwise, I apply an old-fashion net benefits philosophy - why is the counterplan alone better than the counterplan and the plan together or some permutation of the two. That generally means you need to win a DA or case turn.

ADV/DA – I believe a DA can be taken out and have zero impact. Just because you read it in 1NC does not mean I have to evaluate its risk. Similarly, I think case advantages can also be taken to zero impact. If there is a linear risk of the DA or the advantage, explain why I should evaluate that risk.

Topicality – I will vote on it, but to do so, the negative needs to spend time on the impacts. Simply reading your theory blocks won’t do it. Slow down and spend your time explaining why the affirmative’s interpretation is problematic.

Theory – to my chagrin, out of the 20 or so rounds I judged last year, five were framework debates. I am fine if that is the real issue. But, beware. Don’t debate just taglines. Explain the arguments. Too often (like T), it is a blazing battle of reading prepared theory briefs. Theory takes some emotion, explanation and warrants. Just reading tag lines doesn’t work. Unless told otherwise, I default to reject the argument, not the team.

Conditionality – In general, I don’t have a problem with conditionality. In fact, I abused the privilege. However, to the extent it creates in-round abuse, inconsistent conditional arguments or puts the 2AC in a position where offense creates double turns, I can be persuaded that in this particular round conditionality was a problem. If conditionality is not contested, I will evaluate all the conditional arguments and the status quo versus the affirmative. Unless persuaded otherwise, I will kick conditional arguments to evaluate other alternatives from the 2NR.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Round Structure - You can certainly do what you want, but I find rounds with huge overviews at the top of each speech and then line-by-line cross-applications to the overview to be the most painful things to judge. I will do my best to fight through all of the cross-applications, but my frustration with the process will be reflected in the speaker points.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Prep time stops when the flash comes out of your computer.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">If you have any questions, ask before the round. My answer will probably be –“if you make the argument, I hear it and understand it, and you win it, I will vote for it.” But ask anyway.