Rafferty,+Colin

Experience - 6 years competition experience in HS/College in IE with an emphasis on Extemp and Impromptu.

Short version - Play to your strengths, be believable, be well structured, maintain integrity, and be understandable.

Longer version - I am a believer in the rules as firm guidelines. This leaves competitors leeway with me to depart from the norms of the event without penalty simply for the sake of not being the normal. That being said, any departure from a norm needs to be executed well and will not be bumped up simply for being new and different.

Competitors must remember that this is a communication activity. Communication is not just providing as much information as possible. Delivery should be at a speed that I can understand and your arguments should be structured in a way that is reasonable and fairly easy to follow.

I will give a lot of leeway in the creativity that debaters may choose to have. However, consistent with my philosophy, that creative must be supported properly.

My day job is not in the academic field, but is in business. I do not live forensics 24/7, but it is an activity that I believe in. I expect everyone to be professional and maintain decorum, but my hope is that competitors are able to forge friendships that will last years in to the future.