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HS Open Curriculum
Giving the 1AR
As the 1AR, your job is to keep your offense/the case alive and extend the most strategic 2AC arguments against the negative’s offcase positions so that the 2AR has a path to victory.
Keep the Case Alive
The plan solving some harms/impacts is the reason the judge should vote for the affirmative, so it is imperative to extend the case and answer all 2NC/1NR arguments against it.
Briefly re-explain to the judge why the plan is good (what does it solve and how?) and why the affirmative harms/impacts outweigh the negative’s impact(s).
Look at your case flow, focusing on the 2AC and 2NC/1NR. Make sure to answer every argument against the case from the 2NC/1NR.
Did the 2AC already answer the argument? If so, extend the 2AC answer(s), making sure to explicitly cite the authors for any evidence.
Is the argument new in the 2NC/1NR so the 2AC couldn’t answer it? Indict the evidence, pointing out any weaknesses or ways the evidence doesn’t apply/isn’t relevant to your case.
Point out for the judge that the negative made new case arguments that the 2AC didn’t have a chance to answer and should not be weighed heavily.
Try not to read new evidence, as you will be pressed for time and there isn’t much time for any developed analysis.
Do not worry about answering 1NC arguments that were not extended in the 2NC/1NR.
Before the speech, talk to the 2A about whether they would like you to focus on a particular advantage and concede the other one(s) to save time or try to cover everything to keep more offensive options open.
Extend Key Arguments Against the Negative’s Offcase Positions
Before the speech, talk to the 2A about what the single strongest argument against each offcase position is. During your speech, extend that one (two if you have time) best 2AC argument for each offcase position.
Capitalize on any 2AC arguments that were dropped or answered poorly by the 2NC/1NR.
Do not try to extend every 2AC argument.
Do not read new evidence or try to make any new arguments.