Le,+Hendrick

I debated for four years for Strake Jesuit in Houston, Texas on both the local and national circuits doing both LD and Public Forum and graduated in 2012.There are no arguments that I am going to reject a priori. As long as an argument is logically warranted, I am okay with voting on it. Keep in mind that I am, however, particularly receptive to theory against arguments that are very clearly offensive.

Argumentation: Because I’m willing to accept a wide spectrum of argumentation, I hold all argumentation to a pretty high standard of proof. Establish why your argument is true, why it applies to your opponent’s arguments or the round, and establish why I as a judge should care. Keep in mind that while I’m pretty good at understanding arguments, I may not be as proficient or up-to-date with philosophy as you may be. If I have no idea what your argument says, I will not vote on it just because you told me to.

Speed: I primarily did PF during my senior year of high school, so I am a touch out of practice, but I am capable of flowing a bit of speed. If I cannot understand you, I will say “Clear” before taking speaks off. Keep in mind that even in my prime, I was not the best at flowing, and if I don’t flow an argument, I am not comfortable factoring it into my decision calculus.

CX: If your opponent is okay with it, I am okay with you asking questions during your prep time. I will hold you to something you say in CX, so keep that in mind when answering questions. Don’t be rude or disrespectful in CX. I appreciate humor, but don’t let that get in the way of logical argumentation.

Speaks: I will not knock speaker points off for presentation unless your presentation is actively hindering the round. This includes speaking too quickly for me to flow. Other than that, I typically allocate speaker points based on your strategy and quality of argumentation in the round. Debate well, and you won’t lose speaker points. Sign posting is a must. Establish a road map, and follow it.

Theory/topicality: I am open to arguments of all types on this subject. Once again, as long as your argument is clearly warranted, I am okay voting on it. That said, make sure that there is clear abuse when running theory. I will reduce speaks if theory is run without sufficient justification.