Sheehan,+Daniel

I debated for four years at Palo Alto High School (2001-2005), and I spent my latter two years competing on the national circuit. I coached the Varsity LD team at Palo Alto High School during my four years of college. I last judged on the national circuit in 2009.

I try to avoid entering the round with strong preconceptions of how debaters should debate, and I try to give you as much freedom as possible to set the terms of the round. That said, there are a few things you may want to keep in mind if you find me in the back of the room:

- While I don't have a problem with speed, there is a limit as to what I'm physically able to flow, and it may be lower than the limit for people who have been judging extensively on the circuit for the past couple of years. I'll yell 'clear' if I really can't understand what you're saying for some extended period of speech time, but just because I don't say something doesn't mean I'm writing down everything you say. Being clear when reading card author names is especially helpful. - Since I haven't judged circuit rounds since 2009, I may not be entirely up-to-date on some of the lingo being used, particularly in theory debates. If you're going for a lot of theory, don't presume that I understand all of the jargon. - While I'm willing to listen to or vote on just about any argument, I have a bias toward well-developed arguments. Blippy or underdeveloped arguments will probably get less weight at the end of the round, and I'll be willing to accept fairly weak answers to them. - All else being equal, I prefer to vote on arguments on the substance of the topic rather than on theory. Theory arguments will need to be very well-developed and tell a strong abuse story for me to vote on them. - When assigning speaker points, I'll be giving consideration to the sophistication of your arguments and to your clarity as a speaker, but also to the way you comport yourself in round. Being a jerk to your opponent (or engaging in unnecessary showboating in round) is an easy way to get low points from me.

Other than that, have fun. Feel free to ask me any questions before or after the round.