Hollingshead,+Alexis+(Ali)

I try to be self-aware about the biases I bring into a debate round, but I am sure that I miss some. Basic Stuff: I have been judging and coaching LD debate since 2008. I have read multiple books about things. I consider myself relatively well-informed about current events and about topic literature.

I'm cool with speed, and if I have any issues understanding you, I will say "slow" or "clear" depending on what my issue is. With that said, I've noticed that the debaters who slow down their tags and authors (read: each group of words that you want to make sure I have on my flow, in the exact wording that you present them) tend to do better with me. If our flows match, I will always be in the exact same place you are.

I get excited about novel arguments and creative ways of thinking. I am a fan of critical arguments (but not a fan of spelling it with a k, sorry). I'm the judge you want to run that weird, "out-there" case in front of. I've noticed that debaters who use more prep time before their first rebuttal speech (instead of a 50/50 split) give better speeches. I mean, I'm not going to dock you if you don't do that, but I'm pretty sure that my brain goes "oh, this person know what they're doing" when that happens and it probably subconsciously influences me. The first rebuttals are the last chance for arguments to exist in the round, so you need to make sure that your strategy for winning the round is already developed.

I will vote off theory, but I hate when it sounds whiny. I'm not a huge believer in arguments that boil down to something like, "but that's not fair! how could I have known they were going to run that argument?!" because I think an important part of being a good debater is being able to handle arguments you weren't prepared for and finding something debatable (ha) in any argument you encounter. I might discuss my issues with your arguments on my ballot, but I make my decision based on the issues brought up in the round. Unless you manage to offend me (difficult), I am not a believer in judge intervention. Try not to be racist.

You can win my vote with your ballot story. Tell me EXACTLY how you want me to make my decision. Place the arguments within a hierarchy (weigh your impacts). I need to know what to resolve first. Don't be afraid to start your ballot story before your last speech.

I am someone who believes that debate "rules" are not set in stone, so I would be willing to support abstract thinking with my ballot.