Doug Dennis
Macalester College
3 years judging    80+ rounds on the topic


    For the most part, I try not to put myself in debate rounds if 
given
the option.  In other words, I like to do almost no work--the path of 
least
resistance to my decision will ALWAYS be the path I take.  I don't like
reading cards because that (usually) means debaters aren't explaining 
or
impacting their evidence, which forces me to read the cards and
indvertently reward a team for not doing their job.  Simply impacting 
the
evidence and important arguments avoids this.  Insofar as what 
arguments
you can and can't run, what I will or won't for is pretty much 
determined
by the debate round.  There are only two stipulations to this:  (1)  I 
have
to understand the argument, which if you do your job in rebuttals 
shouldn't
be a problem; and (2) It has to be an argument (claim, warrant, maybe 
even
an implication to stated claim and warrant).  Telling me to extend your
impacts is NOT impacting an argument.  I need to know why you want me 
to
extend a particular argument.  What role does this argument play in my
decision calculus?  If I'm not told how to evaluate things, decisions 
may
become very subjective, and I'd like to stay away for those sorts of
decisions.

    You should read evidence and more specific it is, the better.
This isn't to say that that you can't make articulate, true arguments
without the benefit of evidence.  You should go as fast as you can go 
and
still be clear.  This means if you are going to be unclear, don't try 
to go
fast.  Even still, I'll probably get it on paper, I just won't know 
what it
means and that, in the end, may be more problematic (for my flow and 
your
points).  My non-verbal gestures are REALLY easy to understand--if 
you're
doing something I don't like, you'll know.  Since this is Nationals, 
and
speaker points are important, I should tell you that if you debate well 
I
will reward you accordingly.  The converse is also true, however, and
there's nothing wrong with giving a bad round the 23.5 it deserves.

   Finally, you should debate smart, show some heart, (try to) be right 
and
have fun.  This is Nationas.  If anything I've said doesn't fit into 
your
framework, feel free to ignore it.  At least choose to go out on your 
own
terms.

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