Erikson,+Philip

I debated high school Policy (and occasionally Public Forum) for 5 years at Vermillion High School, mostly on the South Dakota circuit but with a smattering of national tournaments. I judged probably more than I debated my senior year, mostly Public Form and Lincoln Douglass. I'm now a senior at Beloit College majoring in philosophy with a triple-threat focus in ethical theory, political philosophy, and Nietzsche studies. I've been on the periphery of the activity for a while
 * Background**

I'm certainly not going to vote based on speaking skills, and you shouldn't be concerned with speaker points from me. That being said, being convincing is inseparable from being clear. I'm not concerned about speed, but it's important to slow down on theory arguments etc. I'm not going to have a computer out, so you have to road map your speech and make sure I can catch everything because I can't go back and check. I will likely ask to see contested evidence after the round. If you're racist/sexist/transphobic/etc, you won't lose speaker points you'll just lose the round.
 * Speaking**

It's not my business to tell you how to debate, but all judges have their biases so it's worth making them explicit. I prefer depth over breadth, but I have a lot of respect for strategic debate. In terms of tech vs. truth, I'll give you argument wins on tech, but not round wins. If you're closing for a dropped argument, you still have to impact out that argument the same way you would if you were closing for a regular wining argument. I appreciate an emphasis on framework and theory. Especially if you want to do something less traditional, be sure to justify what you're doing and why it matters. This is your debate and not mine, so do what you're comfortable with and do it well.
 * Issues**


 * Feel free to ask my any questions before the round, or email me any post-ballot questions at eriksonpd@beloit.edu.**