Rosen,+Betty

I debated (LD) for Hathaway Brown School in Ohio on the local and TOC circuits and have judged several high school tournaments since then. Thus, I'm familiar and fine with all types of argumentation, and speed is totally fine.

In general, I vote only on the arguments made in the round without imposing any kind of preference on type of argument. I really enjoy unusual arguments and will vote on virtually any argument you choose to make provided you argue it well. The rounds I most enjoy judging are those in which the arguments present creative, innovative takes on the resolution - that said, again, I judge //only// on what is said in the round and vote on whatever become the issues of weight in the round, even if I disagree with or dislike them. You'll never lose a round //because// of my preferences.

That said, here are my preferences more specifically:

Topicality/Theory - If this is really the best strat, go for it. Otherwise, I think T/Theory debates are often kind of a cop-out. I'm pretty liberal-minded in terms of interpretation of the topic, so you'll have to do a good job convincing me your opponent's interp is abusive or yours is vastly better.

Counterplans/Disads - Totally fine. Link and impacts are both key.

Kritiks - I //love// kritiks. (That said, as I would prefer that the rounds I judge have some diversity, I hope that every debater reading this will not decide to run a kritik. Seriously, just use your best strat!) Weird kritiks are cool with me, and you'll have to actually take them seriously and do work to counter them. That said, I know bad kritiks when I see them - make sure what you're saying is substantive and interesting, and try to engage with the debate at hand in a way that makes it clear why you're running //this// kritik in //this// round.

By the way, it's also entirely fine with me if you just go straight on case. Don't feel the need to run offs if they're unnecessary.

In general, I'm very laid back and mostly just want to have fun judging you. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask before the round.