Denning,+Chris

By the standards that currently exist on the circuit, I will definitely be one of the more conservative judges that you will have. That being said, I debated LD for four years, with a fair mix between national and local circuits. My philosophy with LD is pretty simple.

I don't approve of speed in the way that it makes me feel like I'm in a policy round. Rapid conversational speed is ok, but I should still feel like it is speed fitting for a conversation. I feel as though one of the truly great things about LD is how accessible it is to people who haven't debated before. Not to sound like one of the judges that only judges on speaker quality (because I'm not one of those), but you should speak in such a way that you can look up every once in a while.

With strategies, it has to fit into the context of LD. If you can convince me that your K proves the resolution false, then by all means run it. CP's do NOT prove the resolution false. Further, seeing as the resolution will not dictate a plan, there is no reason for you to need to run a CP. Following from that logic, I see no reason to run a "parametrics" affirmative. If you give a plan text, your opponent can probably beat you on a conditionality argument. If the AC gives a plan text and the NC gives a CP, wait to see my drop my pen and take out a coin to decide the round.

I am OK with theory arguments in clear cases of abuse. Do not run theory just to run theory. And make your arguments clear. I was not the best theory debater in high school, and therefore I am liable to get very lost if the round boils down to a theory debate. If I lose track of the round, I might take out a coin to decide things. Make sure you are clear about exactly why you outweigh your opponent.

My decision calculus starts with the framework. If you win the value/criterion/standard/weighing mechanism that you set forward, you've done yourself a big favor in trying to win the round. After a framework is established, I look for who has the most offense linking into that standard, so make sure you tell me how important your offense is.

The most important thing to remember is to make your arguments clear. Don't run stuff that's too crazy, because I might get lost. Otherwise, have fun and do a good job technically.