Freeman,+Isaac

This will be my eleventh year involved with competitive debate. I competed in Lincoln Douglas for Cactus Shadows High School in Cave Creek, AZ, and then Putnam City North High School in Oklahoma City, placing 15th at the NFL National Tournament in 2010. Additionally, I have assistant-coached for Sandra Day O’Connor HS in Phoenix (via the Internet) and for Putnam City North. I competed in Policy Debate at the University of Oklahoma and I know coach policy debate at Marsh Middle School in Dallas.

My first answer to the question of what I’m looking for is “who debated better?” I will evaluate all arguments with exactly as much weight as you give them. I like to consider everything and I will vote for things I disagree with personally if I feel that one side argued it better. I don’t mind any kinds of arguments, but I ask that they be intentional. My biggest pet peeve is when a team runs a ton of arguments simply to waste time or to drown their opponent in ink. That is not debate. That is competitive reading. There is no education in that and I think it’s a huge waste of our collective time.

As far as speed, I can handle it but I absolutely prefer clarity over brevity. I flow old-school style with a pen and paper so if I’m looking at you confused, you know you’re going too fast or not being clear enough. I tend to be very overt with my facial expressions so you can usually read whether or not I’m following you based on my face.

In the end, I like the round to be organized. I want to hear very clearly why your case/arguments, etc. outweigh theirs, not just why they are good or strong. I want to hear impacts. I shouldn’t have to do work for you in order to vote for you. The cleaner the debate, the better.