Thompson,+Rob

I debated in LD for four years at Rosemount High School in Rosemount, Minnesota. I debated on both the local Minnesota and the “national” circuit throughout my four years of high school debate and spent three years as the Varsity LD coach at Rosemount. I am currently unaffiliated and in living in Washington, DC.

Speed: I can handle most speeds, that being said, if you decide to read/speak quickly… BE CLEAR! Please slow down for tags and authors.

Theory violations should only be ran where there is clear in round abuse. I have a high threshold for theory, you need to extend all four parts of the violation for me to factor it into my decision. I am open to evaluating whatever else you want to run. Kritiks need to have alternatives - reject aff is not sufficient.

I tend to base my decisions off of impact analysis. I also need some form of weighing mechanism, whether it be a criterion, standard, burdens, or something else. Make sure you evaluate competing impacts (I outweigh x because of y). I default to Probability > Magnitude > Time Frame

How to win a debate in front of me: Make your positions tell a story, Make jokes (in moderation), Be nice, have fun, respect your opponents' arguments, make them respect yours, Make impact comparisons on everything (including theory), take risks, If you can't be faster, be smarter and more strategic, Fill in the blanks in the sentence "Even if she wins X I win because of Z"

How to lose a debate in front of me: Be unclear, Make arguments that are designed to confuse your opponents (they will probably confuse me too), or run arguments that blatantly contradict each other, among other things.

Also, I don't care if you sit or stand throughout the round or if you use your laptop (unless forbidden by the tournament)