Parker,+Ari

Seriously, does anyone use CX anymore? It doesn't have to be used as prep...

Debaters who establish a clear decision calculus tend to win my ballot. I start my evaluation there, so make sure this is explicit. I have no preference in terms of whether you use a standard, establish a burden, or just weigh impacts. However, if your opponent establishes a different metric for evaluation, establish why yours comes first. If your framework excludes all of their impacts, make sure you explain that. This all seems obvious, but many fail to do it.

Over the past two years, I have seen and judged far too many theory debates. I view theory as a last resort: It is only something you should go for when a position is abusive, i.e. there are few strong substantive arguments to make and no cogent strategy to exploit. I find holding debates responsible for the potential implications of their arguments - not the actual, in round impact - problematic, and I consider it a serious limitation of the competing interpretations model. My thoughts on theory are open to scrutiny, and only matter absent in round argumentation.

Speaks: Controlling the framework, comparing evidence, making offensive responses, and knowing what you can lose and what you can't impresses me. I admit my speaks are a little lower than the community norm, but I think the community norm is higher than it should be. Finally, speaker points are not lifetime achievement awards. I might think you're an awesome debater, but if you were just average when I judged you, you'll get average points. The opposite is also true.

26 below average, there's something missing. 27 you were ok but still have a lot of room for improvement. 27.5 no glaring flaws, but probably made a few minor errors. 28 mistake free, may deserve to clear 28.5 you impressed me. I think you definitely deserve to clear and probably merit a top 20 speaker award. 29 you deserve a top 10 speaker award. 29.5 probably one of the top performances I'll see this year. i hope you win top speaker. 30 i will remember this for a long time

due to rampant speaker point inflation in the state of cali, i gave .5 higher at VBT to every person i judged.