Davis,+James-2015

Judging in 2015 LD in Northeast for Ridge High School About me: I grew up in Newton, Kansas. I'm now double majoring in Economics and Environmental Science at Columbia University in New York City. Experience: Four years of high school policy debate, PF Debate, LD debate, extemp, oration, etc. Attended the NSDA (NFL) tournament in three different events throughout high school: Domestic Extemp, International Extemp, and Policy Debate. Debated pretty extensively on the policy debate national circuit. Got ninth speaker in Policy Debate at the NSDA (NFL) national tournament; Won a few extemp state championships; coached teams and led debate seminars at camps; etc. General paradigm: Tabula Rasa. Default policymaker. General preferences: How to win: Theory: Kritiks: Topicality:  Counterplans: Disads and Oncase: I really don't like:
 * Be respectful.
 * Use all of your speech time, use all of your prep time, and put effort into cross-examination.
 * Please share electronic evidence prior to speechs. I'll only time flashing if it becomes a problem or if it's required of me.
 * <span style="font-family: inherit; font-family: open_sans,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-size: inherit; vertical-align: middle; vertical-align: middle;">Spreading is perfectly fine. I'm well accustomed, and you'll be able to recognize my non-verbal frustration if I cannot understand you. Remember that going as fast you can is never a substitute for persuasive arguments.
 * <span style="font-family: inherit; font-family: open_sans,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-size: inherit; vertical-align: middle; vertical-align: middle;">Begin debate rebuttals with the words "<span style="font-family: open_sans_bold; font-size: inherit; vertical-align: middle;">the affirmative/negative has won the round because... " and then tell me exactly how my RFD (reason for decision) should be written on the ballot. Give me the big picture in your rebuttal, rather than immediately jumping into the details.
 * <span style="font-family: inherit; font-family: open_sans,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-size: inherit; vertical-align: middle; vertical-align: middle;">Use the terms magnitude, probability, and timeframe to structure your arguments.
 * <span style="font-family: inherit; font-family: open_sans,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-size: inherit; vertical-align: middle; vertical-align: middle;">Come prepared with intelligent, digestible strategies.
 * <span style="font-family: inherit; font-family: open_sans,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-size: inherit; vertical-align: middle; vertical-align: middle;">Conditionality -- it's up for debate whether or not multiple-worlds is fair or educational. In high school, I ran two or three conditional positions whenever I had a suitable judge.
 * <span style="font-family: inherit; font-family: open_sans,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-size: inherit; vertical-align: middle; vertical-align: middle;">Time sucks are a waste of your time. You should make good arguments, not arguments that just fill time. Never run something that you wouldn't ever go for.
 * <span style="font-family: inherit; font-family: open_sans,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-size: inherit; vertical-align: middle; vertical-align: middle;">Don't read new evidence during the final rebuttals. Rebuttals are a time to explain and analyze arguments you have already made.
 * <span style="font-family: inherit; font-family: open_sans,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-size: inherit; vertical-align: middle; vertical-align: middle;">"Vote against the argument, not the team" is a pretty persuasive answer to abuse arguments made by affirmatives.
 * <span style="font-family: inherit; font-family: open_sans,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-size: inherit; vertical-align: middle; vertical-align: middle;">Love 'em. I have a pretty deep familiarity with the literature that tends to be used in debates. If you don't know what you're talking about, I will know.
 * <span style="font-family: inherit; font-family: open_sans,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-size: inherit; vertical-align: middle; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: open_sans_bold; font-size: inherit; vertical-align: middle;">Contextualize the kritik to the aff.
 * <span style="font-family: inherit; font-family: open_sans,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-size: inherit; vertical-align: middle; vertical-align: middle;">I can't see myself voting for a non-topical kritikal affirmative. You have to at least try to affirm the topic or relate to the topic in a meaningful way. That being said, I used Kritik affirmatives a lot -- they're a lot more fun and educational when related to the topic.
 * <span style="font-family: inherit; font-family: open_sans,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-size: inherit; vertical-align: middle; vertical-align: middle;">Reasonability vs. Competing Interps -- it's up for debate. I like either one. Affirmatives should make a reasonability argument, a we-meet argument, and a counter-interp.
 * <span style="font-family: inherit; font-family: open_sans,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-size: inherit; vertical-align: middle; vertical-align: middle;">Leverage topicality -- cross-apply the standards to a theory flow; use it to establish links to disads; explain standards and voters in-depth.
 * <span style="font-family: inherit; font-family: open_sans,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-size: inherit; vertical-align: middle; vertical-align: middle;">Negatives running topicality should generally make a "there's a topical version of their aff" argument to non-uniq education voters affirmatives try to leverage.
 * <span style="font-family: inherit; font-family: open_sans,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-size: inherit; vertical-align: middle; vertical-align: middle;">Love 'em.
 * <span style="font-family: inherit; font-family: open_sans,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-size: inherit; vertical-align: middle; vertical-align: middle;">Affs should be creative with perms and take time to explain them.
 * <span style="font-family: inherit; font-family: open_sans,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-size: inherit; vertical-align: middle; vertical-align: middle;">Familiar with all the structures. I used a lot of creative PICs and advantage counterplans in high school and I've also invented several other types.
 * <span style="font-family: inherit; font-family: open_sans,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-size: inherit; vertical-align: middle; vertical-align: middle;">Plan-specific disads coupled with well-warranted solvency turns: the best strategy ever.
 * <span style="font-family: inherit; font-family: open_sans,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-size: inherit; vertical-align: middle; vertical-align: middle;">Use impact turns strategically. Dedev is a pretty weak argument -- you can do better than that.
 * <span style="font-family: inherit; font-family: open_sans,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-size: inherit; vertical-align: middle; vertical-align: middle;">If you decide to run Politics be creative. I don't want to hear generic evidence I know you haven't personally cut.
 * <span style="font-family: inherit; font-family: open_sans,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-size: inherit; vertical-align: middle; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: open_sans_bold; font-size: inherit; vertical-align: middle;">Affirmatives should know how to strategically kick out of advantages -- competitive rounds are all about prioritization.
 * <span style="font-family: inherit; font-family: open_sans,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-size: inherit; vertical-align: middle; vertical-align: middle;">Excessive small talk between speechs.
 * <span style="font-family: inherit; font-family: open_sans,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-size: inherit; vertical-align: middle; vertical-align: middle;">Poor mannerisms: speaking though your partner excessively, excessive swaring, taking obnoxious seal-barking, double-breaths when spreading, throwing flashdrives, refusing to stand up to speak when fully capable.
 * <span style="font-family: inherit; font-family: open_sans,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-size: inherit; vertical-align: middle; vertical-align: middle;">Debaters that won't adjust their delivery pace for opponents -- If the other team obviously cannot keep up with your speaking pace, then you should reasonably adjust your pace to suit their needs.
 * <span style="font-family: inherit; font-family: open_sans,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-size: inherit; vertical-align: middle; vertical-align: middle;">People spend the entirety of the 2AC or the neg-block just reading evidence to hide the fact that they don't know how to explain their arguments and do line-by-line analysis.
 * <span style="font-family: inherit; font-family: open_sans,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-size: inherit; vertical-align: middle; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: open_sans_bold; font-size: inherit; vertical-align: middle;">Debaters that just read pre-written blocks. I can tell.
 * <span style="font-family: inherit; font-family: open_sans,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-size: inherit; vertical-align: middle; vertical-align: middle;">People who make arguments embedded in road maps.
 * <span style="font-family: inherit; font-family: open_sans,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-size: inherit; vertical-align: middle; vertical-align: middle;">Debaters who just read and flow their opponents' arguments off of shared electronic files. You'll miss something that's said and it may distract you from preparing your speechs.
 * <span style="font-family: inherit; font-family: open_sans,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-size: inherit; vertical-align: middle; vertical-align: middle;">Strategies whereby teams run all of their oncase in the 2NC. The 1NC should lay out all the key arguments of the round, so that the 2NC can be spent explaining some of those arguments in-depth.