by Patrick S | Jan 23, 2011 | Debate, Technique
My grandfather might be the scariest man I know. He’s a nuclear physicist who’s taught at universities all over the world. He was intimately involved in the Mars Rover project in the 1970’s. When you ask him if he has been to Area 51, he sighs and... 
by Patrick S | Jan 8, 2011 | Coaching, Debate
The more things change, the more you realize that some things don’t. I was looking at my bookshelf today when I noticed something I’d been neglecting. See, a long time ago, before I was in the NCFCA/Stoa debate circles, I took a debate class with the local... 
by Patrick S | Sep 20, 2010 | Debate, Featured, From Advanced to National-Class, Strategy
We have a problem in the debate community. It’s not bad evidence that I’m referring to. It’s not shallow argumentation. It’s not a lack of thinking. It’s not poor judging. Those are all problems, of course, but they’re not the... by Patrick S | Feb 23, 2010 | Debate, Environment TP 09-10
I’m essentially the mad scientist of the Ethos group. I keep trying to re-invent the wheel, and more often than not, it blows up in my face. So, with that in mind, some of my favorite cases should probably be approached with caution, but I think they’re... by Patrick S | Dec 26, 2009 | Debate, Strategy
We’ve all been there. You’re in a round against a case you’ve never seen before. Maybe it’s at an open against a team from another region, maybe a team trying out a new case, maybe it’s just one you didn’t see coming. Either way,...