Hoffman,+Ari

Backround: I've been debating for Niles West High School for 3 years. I've judged and competed on this topic a LOT, so I like to think I'm okay with topic-specific terms.

Overall: I like to think I'm fairly Tabula Rasa when it comes to most debates. I'll vote on whatever argument is articulated well enough, but I will NOT make extrapolations for you.

My golden rule is, IF YOU DON'T GET IT, DON'T RUN IT. This applies for Ks, theory, T, or any policy argument. That said, if you DO understand your argument, and you explain it well, I'm willing to vote for you

Specifics:

K: See golden rule. I go for the K a lot, I've read most of the lit, and I'm willing to vote for it if it's explained well. The aff framework debate is often uphill for me, but very few neg teams take out the perm like they should.

K affs: See golden rule. I like seeing a good K aff debate. I'm willing to vote on them if they're done well, but you have to have good offense on the framework flow, or I might have to default negative. Also, you should probably encourage or advocate something.

Politics: Sure. You should explain any politics theory if you want me to evaluate it. I also want a story of how the DA functions in rebuttles.

T/Theory: I'll default to competing interpretations unless I'm told not to. Reasonability however can be a good reason to reject the arg not the team. I'm a blank slate for T and theory, but I think the more specific the objection, the more convincing.

General: I like an entertaining debate. This can just mean both teams really engaging the evidence and doing a good line by line. I also like humor in debate. Don't feel like you have to do it, but if you're a funny person, I like being amused. The better the debate is going, the better my mood will be and vice versa. I'll likely also not give you a poker face so watching me is a good indication of how your argument choices are going down. In terms of cockiness, I have a higher threshold for it than some other judges, with the caveat that if you are both cocky and wrong, you will lose points. However this does not mean you should be mean to the other team or to your partner. I don't take prep for flashing, but if you take too long, it will piss me off and you may look worse. If I believe you are stealing prep, I will notify you and start prep again. It may also piss me off and you may look worse. Tag team is okay, but if your partner walks all over you, it may piss me off and you may look worse.

Also take notes post round. I just listened to you for several hours. If you don't listen to me for a few minutes, your next round with me judging will be unpleasant

Above all, debate should be fun. you should enjoy it.