Month: June 2010 Page 1 of 3

by Logan Scisco

The Extemp Central National Points Race is a competition designed to reward extempers for placing high at selected national circuit competitions throughout the year. Tournaments are placed into five tiers based on their level of prestige and each tier awards a different amount of points towards the top six finishers (CFL and NFL Nationals award points for semi-finalists). To find out what point value tournaments are worth, check out the first issue of The Ex Files on the tab above. At the end of the season, the winner of the National Points Race will receive a customary glass trophy recognizing their achievement courtesy of Extemp Central.

Extemp Central also sponsors a National Team Points Race competition. When extempers compete and place highly at selected tournaments they earn points for themselves and their school. In the case of a tie, the number of finalists schools have had throughout the year is used as a tiebreaker.

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After three days of competition, the final rounds for International and United States extemporaneous speaking are set for NFL Nationals.  Of those in the National Points Race, James Mohan of Danville High School (Kentucky), Jacob Baker of Bellarmine College Prep (California), and Steven Elliott of Lakeville North High School (Minnesota) are in the International Extemp final.  In United States extemp, CFL national champion Dylan Slinger of Lakeville South High School (Minnesota) and Oscar Wang of San Marino High School (California) are still alive.  National Points Race leader Dillon Huff dropped in the quarter-final round of International extemp and that has given all of the extempers listed above an opportunity to walk away with the National Points Race trophy tomorrow evening.  Nabeel Zewail and Aaron Lutkowitz, where were ranked behind Huff in the National Points Race, were eliminated from the IX octofinal and quarter-final rounds, respectively.

Based on  the fact that the finalists listed above need to accumulate 320 points to pass Dillon Huff and take the National Points Race title, Extemp Central has broken down what placings the extempers in those rounds will need to do that.  The number listed beside the placing is what their point total will look like if they achieve that position.  The number in parenthesis is the amount of points they will earn if they earn that placing and win the final round.

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The National Forensic League national tournament next week in Kansas City, Missouri will decide this year’s Extemp Central National Points Race and National Team Points Race.  NFL Nationals is the only first tier tournament in the National Points Race and unlike last year, the title is not clinched prior to the tournament.  The fourteen extempers who make the semi-final round will be battling for the 200 points that will go to the tournament champion.  Extempers will then earn points on a graduate scale from 200 to 25 based on their finish from first through fourteenth place.  To see how points are awarded in the National Points Race, check out the Wake Forest edition of the Ex Files for this season by clicking on the Ex Files tab at the top of the page.

Based on the fact that extempers can only earn a maximum of 225 points at NFL Nationals, all extempers who have less than 125 points in the National Points Race are mathematically eliminated from winning the championship.  The following extempers have a mathematical chance of winning the title:

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