Rosecrans,+Michael

Glenbrook North
I debated for four years at Glenbrook North High School. I debated for a semester at Emory University. I quit debating but continued to judge high school rounds. I’ve judged around five tournaments on this topic. I really try to evaluate the arguments made in the round and ignore my personal opinions. I will vote on arguments that I disagree with or dislike as long as they are argued well. That being said, here are my personal opinions.

Topicality: I usually tend to err affirmative on topicality debates. As long as the affirmative demonstrates that their interpretation of the topic is reasonable, I will probably vote for them. I feel like the most important thing in topicality debates is to give a good explanation of what the topic would look like under your interpretation.

Theory: I view theory pretty similarly to topicality. I will need to be completely convinced that someone has done some kind of wrong to vote against them on theory. I tend to think theory should be evaluated on a case by case basis so I will be persuaded by reasonability arguments.

Counterplans/Disads – The link is usually what I look to before anything else. For me, the link will usually determine which side is winning a disad. When comparing different policy options or the status quo, impact calculus is extremely important for me. It probably ends up being the deciding factor in more debates than anything else.

Kritiks: I don’t really feel like I have any biases per se. I have no problem voting on them. However, I feel like a lot of times negatives will read a kritik without actually engaging the affirmative. Likewise, I feel like a lot of affirmatives forget about what their case does when a kritik is read against them. I will greatly appreciate it if both sides avoid this.

In terms of general conduct, don’t cross-read or cheat in some other way. By all means, be aggressive, assertive, etc. but please do not be mean to the other team or your partner. I will more than likely display my general distaste for anything going on in the round so watching me may be a good indication if you doing something wrong. If I am judging you and you have any other questions, by all means ask me.