And there is little sign of change among the next generation; the paper system still thrives among middle and high school teams, where debate is more pastime than passion.

Switching to laptops isn’t as easy as it sounds — for example, organizing thousands of files to adjust strategy midspeech can take some getting used to, despite new software. And then there is the sheer volume of backfiles that would need to be digitized.

Also, the transition means rule changes, as well as the obligation of familiarizing judges and opponents with your computer system so they can do the requisite examination of (now digital) evidence for credibility and accuracy. Can there be fair competition with such radically different levels of technology used by competitors?

“Many people in the community think paperless wastes time, delays debates and gives an unfair advantage to the paperless team,” according to the Georgia Debate Union at the University of Georgia, whose Web site offers “Strategies for Success Against Paperless Teams.”

Debaters, says Edward M. Panetta, a coach at the University of Georgia, “are creatures of habit.”

“Their evidence is like a security blanket to them.” And, he worries, “What happens if the file crashes?” In the hyperprepared world of debate, no team wants to risk the possibility of technological failure.

Ryan Bass, a junior from Liberty University, in Lynchburg, Va., recalls how he encountered the risks of paperless debating at a tournament in September. In the middle of a critical argument, his partner’s laptop flashed what he calls “the blue screen of death” and lost power. By the time it rebooted, Liberty’s carefully assembled argument had vanished. “It was the worst thing that could ever happen in a debate,” he says. Worse even “than if the room had caught fire.”