__Willis,+Walter

Ok-- For Grapevine, 9/9/17 only I had a profile up for several years that was connected to an email address that was associated with an earlier teaching position. As a result I could not edit it. So I began, a couple of days ago, attempting to get new access so that I could update it. If you already saw the previous post, that was written at a time when I was primarily coaching LD and LD was evolving into it's current iteration.

About CX, briefly: Among the coaches and debaters who have a good understanding of my capabilities, even my worst detractors would admit that I am fundamentally strong except that I am old and slow. I would qualify that characterization thusly:

Old---> Yeah, I am a dinasaur. But I debated during a time when the debaters were pushing the edges on the activity and new approaches were evolving so I embrace the innovative approaches that I am seeing and reading about. Still, I did not debate when critical debating was the norm. And even though I have coached teams that run critical arguments, frameworks and theory, most of my work with them was on a macro level, not micro. That means that I have a good general understanding of these arguments and one subtext ought to be that I am certainly intelligent enough to understand complex positions. But, I am not __intimately__ familiar with many critical arguments or theoretical positions and you will have to communicate better than you are probably used to if I am judging and you are running an argument like these.

Slow-->Unlike a lot of older coaches I am not theortically opposed to speed. In fact I embrace it as far as it is practical. The practical limitations should be obvious. Much high school speed is terrible. That is a result of clarity. You should have heard the difference and if you think you are clear when spreading but you are not it is because you are used to hearing you and you lack the objectivity to hear you the way others hear you. Don't take that critically. it is probably just a function of your age and you will likely grow out of it. More bad news is that philosophically I oppose reading cards after the round if the debater makes no effort to slow down any for me to understand them. In otherwords, if you are making an effort to read slower than usual and I still need to gain a better understanding of what you are saying I may consult the text of your arguments. But if you are not making the extra effort to adapt to me, I will simply reciprocate. Having said all of that, In the last 10 years I have watched/judged hundreds of high quality LD and CX debates at both high rates of speed and where the debaters were modifying. __I flow faster than most Texas circuit coaches but I do not flow TOC speed well.__ So,

To win my ballot and get a 30--> 1) Drop your accustomed rate 10-15% and speak clearly. Occasionally look at me for feedback on comprehension.I will only say clear a couple of times and I may not say it at all. This is not stubbornness, I have found that when trying to listen to you speak, I am so focused on that task that I do not think to say anything. 2) Treat your opponents and the activity with the respect they and it deserves. What ever you do, whether in debate or otherwise, you are a representative of that activity. This activity means too much to us for me to be tolerant of a debater whose style or actions are demeaning in any way. 3) Rebuttal extensions must include warrants and impacts. 4) Your advocacy ought to be consistent. I will vote for a team that chooses a strategy that involves a little intellectual gymnastics, but it may be a LPW. 5) Do not abuse evidence passing time. 20 seconds should be enough.

I default neg unless you give me a warranted reason otherwise. Any other questions, please ask.

I will work up a more comprehensive profile soon. Good luck!

And remember, democracy exists because we will never convince everyone we disagree with that we are correct. To fix this currently dysfunctional political reality we must be capable of building coalitions across ideological lines. Be active and never let louder voices silence you.