Duesler,+Marita

I coach at Monsignor Kelly HS in Beaumont, Texas. I have been coaching LD since 1996 and have also coached CX and PF. My debaters attended NFL Nationals several years in PF (2nd place in 2008) and one year in CX.

I am a traditional judge. You should: Follow proper LD procedures. Debate the resolution. No flex prep. Stand when speaking. Face judge. Do not interrupt opponent during speeches. Make roadmaps brief.

On speed, if I cannot understand you, it will hurt you. I prefer a persuasive round rather than seeing how much you can fit into the 6-7 minutes you have in constructive speeches. You can talk fast and still be persuasive and legible.

I do not appreciate debaters telling me the rules of debate or being condescending to a judge. I do not care for counterplans or K’s. Evidence is essential, but arguments over recency of evidence become redundant. Stress the importance of the evidence.

Framework is important. LD debates should have values and criteria and all should relate to that in your cases. I also want you to tell me what arguments you are winning and why. If you argue your opponent dropped something, tell me why that is important.

Make CX questions work for you and come back in the speech and tell me why the answers you got are important to the round.