Erickson,+Courtney

Courtney Erickson Head Coach Lakeville North Minnesota

The more rounds I judge, the more "dino" I get. I would much rather here a substantive debate with clash than anything else.

Speed This is probably the only question most people will ask. I'm fine with speed, I can flow it just fine but take that with a grain of salt. If you blaze through your case I may not get every blippy spike and won't be inclined to vote off it. If you go at a brisk pace make sure to slow down/emphasize arguments that you really want me to get down. I won't yell "clear" ever. If you use speed, make sure that you aren't at the same pace the entire round. I think that the final 2 minutes of the 2N or the 2AR should be a slower, more focused speech. No matter how clear you are, if you speak monotonously and don't emphasize key points I won't give you above a 28.

Theory I'm going to save you all some time, just don't run theory in front of me. If an argument is truly abusive, point it out as such, I won't vote off bad, abusive arguments in the first place, no use wasting 3-4 minutes of my time to say how bad it is. Debate should be about the resolution and not which debater has a better theory file.

Standards I am a big standards judge, standards are what I look to to evaluate which arguments are actually important. I don't have a preference if you use a value-criterion, standard or burden structure as long as you are impacting your arguments back to it (side note, don't have both a value-criterion and burden in your case, especially if you don't say which is more important). If you agree to a standard in CX, great. If not, argue standards on both sides.

Critical Positions I'm fine with "critical" or unique positions as long as they are still applicable to the resolution and if you know what you are talking about. There is no value in running a case just to confuse your opponent and read off pre-extensions.

Speaker Points I give speaker points based off of how you spoke in a round not based off of arguments, strategy, etc. so if you want a 30 be persuasive and clear.

CX Cross-ex should be used to pick apart your opponents arguments, not to waste 3 minutes with clarification questions, a few are fine but make sure you use CX to gain something. CX is also where speaker points can be made/broken: be sure to stand, and always treat your opponent with respect. CX snippiness is a quick way for you to lose 2-3 points.

Random I prefer if you stand during speeches and if you don't use your computer in round. That being said, if you ask me before round to sit/use your computer I'm pretty lenient.