9-3-6

["doug dennis" <cheebavenger@hotmail.com>]

it's about time...

i'd like to chime in on the whole 9-3-6 thing.  i think it's a great 
idea,  much better than 8-3-5 and better than 8-3-6.  the reason is 
simple:  with an extra minute,  debaters will be able to do a 
variety of things to improve the quality of debates.  here are a 
couple of things...

1)  debaters can read longer,  better cards that say what they need 
them to say as opposed to reading shorter cards and having to construct 
their stories.  i know that not everyone in the country has that raw,
thuggish will brewer speed, so some debaters have to make tradeoffs.
with an extra minute (in constructives as well as rebuttals),  debaters
are allowed to even further develop arguments.  

2) makes 1ar's better.  one of the problems that seems to happen in an
awful lot of debate rounds is that debates are good and solid,  with 
much argument development...and then coimes the 1ar.  in these rounds, 
1ar's are in many cases just extending arguments,  not explaining 
arguments.  judges give them leeway,  because they KNOW how hard it 
is to do that sppech.  if you add an extra minute,  the 1ar can make 
better decisions,  and judges can stop giving as much leeway.

i've done both 8-3-5 and 9-3-6 and,  coming from possibly the 
slowest speaker in america,  i think it benefits both the tortise and
the hare.  the tortise and the hare can read longer,  better cards,  
and the tortise can just read more cards at his/her own rate.  debates
will become more detailed with the extra minute in the rebuttals and
it allows judges to raise the bar of expectations.

if you want to continue doing things to improve debates,  increase 
prep time to 10 minutes.  this time is almost exclusively used by 
the last rebuttalists, and gives the debaters more time to tighten 
their stories,  which is always good.  if tournament time becomes an 
issue,  just take away 1 round (7 rounds,  all 4-3's clear).

just my two cents...

doug dennis
retired more often than riddick bowe.  
"i'd come back in the ring for 15 million,  after taxes"
					-riddick bowe

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