Pappas,+Andrew

Andrew Pappas Coach – Baltimore Polytechnic Institute Debate

Bio – Public High School English Teacher for 10 years Debate Coach for 4 years

Debate Experience –

Before becoming the coach of Baltimore Polytechnic and restarting the defunct program, I had no debate experience at all. However, I have been heavily involved in debate since, and I have learned quite a lot. Admittedly, my knowledge of particularly cerebral debate theory is limited, but I am willing to hear it out during a round. That being said, I usually find debate theory to be more smoke-in-mirrors rather than solid argumentation and rarely have I voted for a team because their theory was cleverer than their opponents.

Judge Preferences –

In terms of arguments, I prefer policy debates that ask me to consider the advantages of certain policy plans. I also prefer plans that directly support the resolution, as I believe strongly in the resolution’s ability to create a level playing field for both teams involved. That being said, I am the coach of a team that almost exclusively runs K cases, and I am well versed in the nature of K debate. I would stress that if you plan on running a K, you make it clear WHY the importance of your K outweighs a natural policy debate, as policy is what I expect to hear when I enter a round. If you run a wonderful K, especially on the AFF, but do not convince me that it was more educational, more important, or otherwise more worthwhile than a conventional policy debate, I will most likely vote against you. Finally, speaking ability plays a large part in my final decision. If you plan on SPREADing through your evidence, keep in mind that as a judge, I do not have the benefit of having your case in front of me. I am generally ok with speed, but if you are not clear and I am unable to understand, your evidence will not be flowed. In addition, I generally look for you to win or lose in the rebuttal round, and as such, you should be prepared to persuade me that your argument should win.