Knudtzon,+Meghan

Background: LD my senior year in high school in Montana, currently in my third year of Policy Debate at Concordia College. Started with traditional policy, but now I mostly do k debates.

How I'll approach the round:

Debate is about education. I think the critical thinking and argumentative skills learned in this forum are the most important things to take away from the experience, sometimes more so than the arguments themselves.

I'll judge the debate the way it is presented to me.

I will not base my decisions on anything other than what has been said in the round, so do the work for me. Set up a weighing mechanism for how you want me to approach the criterion/standard debate. Tell me why what you have to say is more important, better, more accurate, etc. than what your opponent claims.

A clear claim--warrent--impact story is key. Be as specific as possible, and try to avoid buzz words/ tagline debating.

Theory: I'm not a fan of theory debates, as they often get too messy and unclear, but that doesn't mean I won't vote on it. If you want me to vote for you on theory, clarity is best. Have an clear abuse story, explain the impacts, tell me why this issue is of utmost importance.

Speed: Speed is fine, but be aware that the faster you go and the more unclear you become, fewer of your arguments will make it onto my flow.

I do my best to protect the NR and 2AR, so I will not consider new arguments in the rebuttals if that abuse claim is made. Extensions are fine, but be clear what argument it is being extended.

Speaks: I base speaker points on clarity of arguments and the speaker's presences in the round. Show confidence, be funny, be assertive. Show respect to your opponents.

In the words of Fred Sternhagen, "Have fun. Try to learn something."