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Here is this week’s Extemp Central news quiz. Good luck!
Month: December 2013 Page 2 of 3
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by Logan Scisco
Extemporaneous speaking is a seven minute event and although many proficient extempers wish it could be longer, the time limit is not going to change anytime soon. When extempers begin their careers they find the seven minute time limit daunting, but as they learn more information and learn about the structure of the event, they quickly find that there is not enough time to get everything they want into the speech. During their second and third seasons, extempers traditionally struggle to balance time in their speeches, usually losing time in the introduction or spending too much time on their first point, which tends to limit their analysis near the end of the their speech and/or forces them to abruptly conclude. This week’s strategy piece will discuss the importance of time allocation and tips for extempers who are struggling to properly allocate time in their speeches.
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Thirty-five extempers competed at Dowling Catholic High School in Dowling, Iowa for the Dowling Catholic Paradigm last weekend. The tournament was an Extemporaneous Speaking Tournament of Champions (TOC) qualifier and is traditionally the largest tournament in the state of Iowa. Adam Stromme of Eagan High School (MN), who finished fourth at last year’s NFL National Tournament in United States Extemp, won the tournament by four ranks over teammate Talha Ahsan. Stromme took two of the three first places ranks available in the final round. Richard Diurba of Millard West High School (NE) was the third place finisher.
The tournament broke to semi-finals, but since it features less than forty extempers only the finalists earned TOC qualifying legs. Danny Drane of Des Moines Roosevelt High School (IA), who placed fourth in the competition, earned his second qualfying leg and becomes a new qualifier for this season’s TOC. Three other extempers earned their first qualifying leg. All extempers that earned a qualifying leg are indicated in italics in the results.
With the holiday break, it will be three weekends before the next TOC qualfying tournament takes place in Charlotte, North Carolina at the Myers Park Laird Lewis Invitational. That tournament will happen opposite the Montgomery Bell Academy Extemp Round Robin on January 3rd-4th.
Here are the results of the 2013 Dowling Catholic Paradigm (Click here for tab sheet):
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December is a time when the most recognized collegiate forensic programs host their invitational tournaments. George Mason and Bradley University hosted theirs the first weekend of December and last weekend was Western Kentucky University’s turn. WKU placed second at both collegiate national tournaments last season and it had thirty-one extempers in its annual Hilltopper Classic on December 14th. Brian Anderson of LaRue County High School (KY), who finisher runner-up at the George Mason University Patriot Games Classic two weeks ago and is a 2014 MBA invitee, was the tournament champion. Emma Jackson and Andrew McKinney of Danville High School (KY) took second and third, respectively. Lane Hedrick of Rowan County Senior High School (KY), who won Bradley’s George Armstrong Heart of Illinois Invitational two weeks ago, was also in the final round and placed fifth. The tournament gave out a top novice award and Musa Subramaniam of Franklin High School (TN), who was the only non-Kentucky extemper in finals, was the recepient.
The tournament was a 2014 Extemporaneous Speaking Tournament of Champions (TOC) qualifying tournament and three extempers earned their first qualfying leg. McKinney earned his second qualifying leg in as many weeks and becomes the third Kentucky extemper to qualify for the TOC. Extempers that earned a TOC qualfying leg are indicated in italics below.
Here are the full results from the 2013 Western Kentucky University Hilltopper Classic:
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Since 2009, the federal minimum wage has been $7.25. The last time that Congress voted for a minimum wage increase was 2007, which occurred in the aftermath of the Democrats winning control of both houses of Congress for the first time since 1995. During last year’s State of the Union, President Barack Obama called for increasing the federal minimum wage and reiterated his support for this on December 5th. President Obama has supported a phased-in minimum wage hike to $10.10, which would go into effect in 2015. Congressional Democrats have supported the President’s plan and argue that a new minimum wage hike should also be indexed to inflation to ensure that minimum wage gains are not eventually diluted by depreciation. With twenty-one states having higher minimum wage levels than the federal government and recurring strikes taking place in the fast food industry, a topic that Extemp Central broke down a few months ago, the debate on a new minimum wage hike could impact the 2014 midterm elections by putting economic inequality back into the national spotlight.
This topic brief will provide extempers with a brief history of the minimum wage, break down arguments for and against raising the minimum wage, and discuss how it could potentially shape the outcome of the 2014 midterm elections.
Readers are also encouraged to use the links below and in the related R&D to bolster their files about this topic.
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Here is today’s premium R&D to accompany today’s premium topic brief on raising the minimum wage.
Survey: 65% of small businesses in the U.S. oppose raising the federal minimum wage to $10.10 an hour. http://t.co/weE5SHY1lQ
— Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) December 12, 2013
Dems can win on raising the minimum wage http://t.co/NTAO3ct6Xu
— Katrina vandenHeuvel (@KatrinaNation) December 10, 2013
6 thoughts on how raising the minimum wage affects #poverty & social mobility: http://t.co/tC0Db0P6yM
— Brookings (@BrookingsInst) December 6, 2013
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1. How much political capital does President Obama have left?
2. Will the Senate approve the Ryan-Murray budget deal?
3. Should the U.S. Congress pass more sanctions against Iran?
4. Obama’s handshake with Raul Castro: A polite gesture or a foreshadowing of warmer relations?
5. What impact with the Ryan-Murray budget deal have on Paul Ryan’s 2016 presidential prospects?
6. Should American schools be required to teach financial literacy?
7. Is polygamy unconstitutional?
8. Should President Obama pardon Edward Snowden?
9. Can a federal minimum wage increase bolster the fortunes of red state Democratic senators in 2014?
10. Should Randi Weingarten be named the next school chancellor of New York City?
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1. Why did the Venezuelan opposition lose the December 8th municipal elections?
2. If you were an advisor to Nicolas Sarkozy, what advice would you provide to help him return to the Palais de l’Eysee?
3. Has 2013 been a good year for Russia in the Middle East?
4. Are African economies too reliant on raw material exports?
5. Should the British government hold a referendum on its EU membership?
6. How has the Arab Spring affected Hamas?
7. Should aid agencies by local food when participating in food aid efforts?
8. Can Mexico manage radioactive materials effectively?
9. What steps should Chile take to better protect the rights of women?
10. Why is the Syrian opposition fracturing?
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Adam Johnson, tournament director of the Montgomery Bell Extemp Round Robin, also known as the Billy Tate Memorial Southern Bell Forum Extemporaneous Speaking Round Robin, has just released the field for this year’s tournament. The competition will take place on the campus of Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville, Tennessee over three days from January 3rd-5th and will feature sixteen of the best extempers in the country. This year’s field features five returning participants, three of which made last year’s Exhibition Round. The field also features six finalists from last year’s NFL National Tournament and includes the defending United States Extemp National Champion, Arel Rende of Booker T. Washington High School (OK).
Extempers are invited to compete based on their results at national circuit events since last year’s tournament and their performance at CFL and NFL Nationals. This year’s tournament will be the first held since the passing of Billy Tate, the head coach of Montgomery Bell Academy, National Forensic League Hall of Famer, and President of the NFL from 1998-2012.
Extemp Central will provide its annual live coverage of the event and will break down the field in the coming weeks. The Round Robin is the first “major” tournament on the extemp calendar and is the first leg of the Grand Slam of extemporaneous speaking, which includes MBA, the Extemp TOC, CFL Nationals, and NFL Nationals. Lily Nellans of Des Moines Roosevelt High School (IA) is the two-time defending champion and if she successfully defends her title she will tie Kevin Troy’s record for most career major titles with six. Troy, who competed for Eagan High School (MN), is the only extemper to win the Grand Slam. He accomplished that feat in 2005.
Here is this year’s field (* indicates returning participant):
*Brian Anderson (LaRue County High School, Kentucky)
*Vaikunth Balaji (Ridge High School, New Jersey)
*Rohan Dhoopar (Bellarmine College Preparatory, California)
*Jack Glaser (George Washington High School, Colorado)
*Jad Hamdan (Jackson High School, Ohio)*
*Chase Harrison (Millburn High School, New Jersey)*
*Christopher Jordan (Brophy College Preparatory, Arizona)
*Lyubov Kapko (Tempe Preparatory, Arizona)
*Davis Larkin (Parish Episcopal School, Texas)
*Lily Nellans (Des Moines Roosevelt High School, Iowa)*
*Jasper Primack (Newton South High School, Massachusetts)
*Arel Rende (Booker T. Washington High School, Oklahoma)
*Miles Saffran (Trinity Preparatory School, Florida)*
*Gabe Slater (Denver East High School, Colorado)
*Will Walker (Fullerton Joint Union High School, California)
*Josh Wartel (Lake Braddock Secondary School, Virginia)*
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Today’s R&D is brought to you by Prepd, the only software built specifically for extemp. Prepd makes it easy to research, practice, and compete! Visit www.prepd.in to learn more. Like Prepd on Facebook for special info and contests.
The links below provide resources for extempers on the purge of Jang Song Thae, the uncle of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Mr. Jang had served as a regent for Mr. Kim after he took over for his father Kim Jong-il in 2011. Reports emerged yesterday that Mr. Jang was executed after confessing to trying to overthrow the government at a special military tribunal. Mr. Jang’s removal could harm North Korea’s relationship with China and signals that Mr. Kim wants to solidify his grip on power.
What does China think of North Korea’s purge? http://t.co/HNv9qTFyNU +as long as it stays U.S.free, China stays happy
— Schrodinger’sKat (@KatButler108) December 12, 2013
News Analysis: A Gamble for North Korea’s Young Leader http://t.co/bUhPIpdNfn — The New York Times (@nytimes) December 9, 2013
JANG SONG THAEK EXECUTION: More analysis and response http://t.co/2cx1eDJdBb — NK NEWS (@nknewsorg) December 12, 2013
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Today’s R&D is brought to you by Prepd, the only software built specifically for extemp. Prepd makes it easy to research, practice, and compete! Visit www.prepd.in to learn more. Like Prepd on Facebook for special info and contests.
The tweets below provide information for extempers about the latest Congressional budget deal, struck between Representative Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA). If approved by Congress, the deal will likely avert a federal government shutdown in January. The deal was not the comprehensive package some analysts expected, as entitlement program modifications and a debt ceiling increase are not included. It also fails to extend unemployment benefits.
Here’s what’s in Paul Ryan and Patty Murray’s mini-budget deal http://t.co/N2XWskpRXj via @washingtonpost
— Dan Patterson (@DanPatterson) December 11, 2013
Alright, there’s a budget deal. What about unemployment insurance? http://t.co/OLnLzDknAo
— NYT Opinion (@nytopinion) December 11, 2013
A proposed budget deal reached in America reduces the possibility of a government shutdown in January http://t.co/AoRerMF53K
— The Economist (@TheEconomist) December 11, 2013
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This weekend saw George Mason University host its 10th annual Patriot Games Classic in Fairfax, Virginia. 161 extempers competed and the tournament featured the winners of this year’s Wake Forest, Yale, St. Mark’s, Blue Key, Glenbrooks, and Villiger tournaments. When the tournament ended on Sunday evening Jasper Primack of Newton South High School (MA) captured the championship by three ranks over Brian Anderson of LaRue County High School (KY). Chase Harrison of Millburn High School (NJ) placed third. Primack’s victory puts Newton South High School, a recognized extemp power in the Northeast, back in the winner’s circle of a major national circuit event for the first time since Becca Goldstein won the Harvard National High School Invitational Tournament in 2008. New Jersey placed two extempers in the final, Harrison and Darius Hunt of Ridge High School, which was more than any other state. Defending champion Lily Nellans of Des Moines Roosevelt High School (IA) was in the field, but failed to clear to elimination rounds.
In the tournament’s annual Extemp Round Robin, Nellans successfully defended her title and won the Exhibition Round over Harrison 24-7. Nellans and Harrison posted 6-1 records during the competition. Miles Saffran of Trinity Preparatory School (FL) took third, posting a 5-2 record. Saffran placed fourth in the general tournament.
All extempers who made elimination rounds earned a qualfying leg to the 2014 Extemporaneous Speaking Tournament of Champions (TOC) at Northwestern University. Three extempers, Rahul Ravinda of John Champe High School (VA), Harrison Stall of Southside High School (SC), and Andrea Zhang of Ardrey Kell High School (NC), acquired their second qualifying leg and qualified for this season’s TOC. Fifteen extempers earned their first qualifying leg and will have next week’s tournaments, as well as a batch of tournaments in January and February, not including state tournaments, to earn their second TOC qualifying leg. All extempers that earned a qualfying leg are indicated in italics in the results.
This week will feature the last two TOC qualfying tournaments of the first semester: The Dowling Catholic Paradigm, hosted by Dowling Catholic High School in Des Moines, Iowa, and the Western Kentucky University Hilltopper Classic, hosted by Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
Here are the full results of this year’s George Mason University Patriot Games Classic (Click here for tab sheet):
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Bradley University, the two-time defending collegiate national championship team, hosted its annual George Armstrong Heart of Illinois Invitational in Peoria, Illinois last weekend. Twenty-nine extempers showed up to compete in the open division and Lane Hedrick of Rowan County Senior High School (KY) was the winner. Hedrick went straight 1’s in the final round to win the tournament by five ranks over Kerthi Gondi of Parkway West High School (MO). Meghan Weston of Fullerton Joint Union High School (CA) took third, beating out Chloe An of Ladue Horton Watkins High School (MO) by judges preference.
The tournament broke to semi-finals, but due to the size of the field, only the finalists earned a qualifying leg to the 2014 Extemporaneous Speaking Tournament of Champions (TOC) at Northwestern University. Of the finalists, only Hedrick was previously qualified to the TOC, so five extempers earned their first qualifying leg to this year’s tournament. The extempers that earned a qualifying leg are indicated in italics in the results listing.
The tournament also featured a novice division, which featured ten competitors, and was won by Charlie Stark of Downers Grove North High School (IL), who won the final round by five ranks over Bryan Zhang of Parkway West High School. The novice division was not eligible for TOC qualification.
Here are the results of this year’s George Armstrong Heart of Illinois Invitational (Click here for tab sheet):
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It was a busy week for TOC qualifying tournaments and the University of Texas Longhorn Classic provided a southern qualifying tournament for those seeking qualifications to the 2014 Extemporaneous Speaking Tournament of Champions (TOC). While George Mason University’s Patriot Games Tournament receives the most attention on the first weekend of December, the Longhorn Classic has typically been considered one of the premier tournaments to earn consideration for a bid to the Mongtomery Bell Extemp Round Robin in Nashville, Tennessee. The tournament allowed extempers to compete in United States and International Extemp and Arel Rende of Booker T. Washington High School (OK) took both championships. Rende is the defending NFL national champion in United States Extemp and his two championships at the University of Texas give him three wins at major Texas tournaments this year, as he took the U.S. Extemp title at the St. Mark’s Heart of Texas Invitational in October. Cosmo Albrecht of Robert E. Lee High School (TX) took second to Rende in both halves of the tournament.
The tournament featured two large fields, with 107 extempers in International Extemp and 102 extempers in U.S. Extemp. The tournament broke to semi-finals and all extempers who made elimination rounds earned a qualifying leg to this year’s Extemp TOC. Fifteen extempers earned their TOC qualification at the tournament, with eleven earning both qualification legs due to their performance in each extemp category. The eleven extempers who did this were Micah Cash of Booker T. Washington High School, Nicholas Curtis, David Dam, and Darren Pomida of Westwood High School (TX), Ayesha Karnik of Flower Mound High School (TX), Jonathan Kumar of Lamar Consolidated High School (TX), Lucy Tiblier and Delaine Tubbs of L.C. Anderson High School (TX), Hinda Uddin of Foster High School (TX), Marshall Webb of Saint Mary’s Hall (TX), and Thomas Yu of the Texas Academy of Math and Science (TX). The four extempers who earned their second qualifying leg at the Longhorn Classic to qualify for the 2014 Extemp TOC were Michael Lupher of L.C. Anderson High School, Kevin O’Brien of Southlake Carroll Senior High School (TX), Jan Soto of Harlingen South High School (TX), and Audrey Zhang of Flower Mound High School. Nineteen other extempers earned their first TOC qualifying leg at the tournament. The extempers that earned a qualifying leg are indicated in italics below.
Here are the results of this year’s University of Texas Longhorn Classic (Click here for tab sheet):