Tedrow,+Tara

I debated for 4 years in high school, won CFL nationals 04 & 05 and NFL nations in 05. I went to Wake Forest as a Presidential Scholar for Debate and debated policy for two years. I have taught/coached for seven years and have a strong background in both old school LD and the emerging trends of circuit style debate.

With that said, I do not care for CPs, DAs, Ks or theory as most of it is poorly run and nonsense (also—just a note, if someone wrote those positions for you, you probably don’t understand it as well as they do). I am fine with speed (flowing is never an issue), but when it is coupled with those types of positions, it often makes the round even more confusing, less of an educational experience, and more of a game of spreading.

However, having a college policy background and run many of those positions in LD myself, I understand those arguments and will not vote against you simply for running them. I am, though, cautioning you against running those positions as a confusion tactic and against using speed as your sole strategy for winning the debate. If you cannot engage in a substantive debate, choose a different event.

I am a big fan of good cross-examinations and expect you to use all of your time in cross to your advantage. I do not prefer debaters to sit during the debate or to read off their computer- no one communicates more clearly or effectively while engaged in either of those activities- but if it’s your preference, it’s ok.

At the end of the day, I want to see an actual substantive debate, with well-organized rebuttals, clear voting issues at the end/weighing (make our jobs easy) and the use of persuasive speaking techniques.