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With the 2014-2015 national circuit season beginning next weekend in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, who are the extempers that might be destined for big things? In this season preview Extemp Central breaks down the eighteen extempers who could make waves in the National Points Race. Extempers are listed alphabetically, and all of those listed, save one who we could not contact, shared some information about their goals for the season and future plans.
BRIAN ANDERSON
Year of Graduation: 2015
Hometown: Hodgenville, Ky.
School: LaRue County High
Favorite School Subject: Math
College Choices: Western Kentucky University, George Mason University, or the University of Alabama.
Major 2013-2014 Tournament Results: Barkley Forum-1st; Kentucky High School Speech League State Tournament-1st; George Mason University Patriot Games-2nd; Montgomery Bell Extemp Round Robin-6th
Last Year’s Nationals Results: NSDA-14th (USX); NCFL-Octofinalist
Personal Strengths in Extemp: I take great pride in my strength as a speaker and my ability to create logical arguments that everyone will be able to understand.
Favorite Topic to Speak On: Domestic Economy
Least Favorite Topic to Speak On: Legal Issues
Favorite World Leader: Pope Francis
Least Favorite World Leader: Hamid Karzai
Favorite Source: The Council on Foreign Relations
Favorite Non-Fiction Book: End This Depression Now by Paul Krugman
Favorite Tournament to Attend During the Season: The Patriot Games
IX or USX at 2015 NSDA?: USX
National Circuit Plans?: This year I plan on attending: Yale, St. Marks, Glenbrooks, GMU, MBA, Emory, Harvard, the UK Extemp ToC, Northwestern University’s Extemp ToC, CFLs and NFLs.
Goals for 2014-2015: Keep learning and improving.
From the Extemper’s Mouth: I’m the guy at nationals with a bit of a southern accent that is almost always wearing a smile. I like to think my jokes are punstoppable, but really they’re just bad. I love forensics because I appreciate diversity. Hearing the stories of so many different people has helped me to recognize my own privilege and incentivized me to do whatever I can to advocate for those facing prejudice. To me, forensics is about advocacy and no event teaches you how to speak on behalf of others as well as Extemp. I’m proud of my tournament successes, but what I hope defines my career is the joy I’ve gotten from this activity; I hope people say “he was good” but I’d much rather them say “he loved it.”
VAIKUNTH BALAJI
Year of Graduation: 2016
Hometown: Somerset, NJ
School: Ridge High School
Favorite School Subject: Chemistry
College Choices: Not decided
Major 2013-2014 Tournament Results: New Jersey Forensic League State Tournament-1st (IX); Villiger-4th; Yale-4th; Bronx (NYC)-Semifinalist; George Mason University Patriot Games-Quarterfinalist; Harvard-Octofinalist
Last Year’s Nationals Results: NCFL-Octofinalist; NSDA- 7th (IX)
Personal Strengths in Extemp: Using specifics and details
Favorite Topic to Speak On: Middle East
Least Favorite Topic to Speak On: Healthcare
Favorite World Leader: Aung San Suu Kyi
Least Favorite World Leader: Bashar al-Assad
Favorite Source: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Favorite Non-Fiction Book: The Bottom Billion by Paul Collier
Favorite Tournament to Attend During the Season: NSDA
IX or USX at 2015 NSDA?: IX
National Circuit Plans?: Will attend most national circuit tournaments
Goals for 2014-2015: Improve from 2013-2014
From the Extemper’s Mouth: When I started forensics, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do LD or extemp-both seemed like intriguing and challening events. Our school made participation in both mutually exclusive, so after much consideration, I decided upon extemp (it seemed more interesting and straightforward). Ever since, I’ve stuck with it, learning more and more about the world and current affairs while engaging in scintillating rounds of competition. The activity has grown on me a lot, and it has afforded me the opportunity to travel new places and meet new people. I hope to continue my excursions into the extemp world successfully for the next two years.
GRANT BUMGARNAR
Year of Graduation: 2015
Hometown: Tulsa, Oklahoma
School: The Prestigious Booker T Washington High School
Favorite School Subject: History
College Choices: Western Illinois Community College of Eastern Illinois
Major Results from 2013-2014 Season: St. Mark’s-3rd (USX), Semifinalist (IX); University of Texas-4th (IX), Semifinalist (USX); Extemp TOC
Last Year’s Nationals Results: Didn’t take extemp, got 32nd overall in Duo.
Personal Strengths in Extemp: Intros, fluidity, and boyish good looks.
Favorite Topic to Speak On: South American Economies
Least Favorite Topic to Speak On: Slovakia’s Department of the Interior
Favorite World Leader: Kim Jong Un (Supreme leader of Best Korea)
Least Favorite World Leader: Faure Gnassingbe (President of Togo)
Favorite Source: A tie between the Economist and Global Fresh Plaza
Favorite Non-fictional Book: Thomas Piketty’s Capital in the Twenty-First Century
Favorite Tournament to Attend: Harvard
IX or USX at 2015 NSDA?: Neither, interp
National Circuit Plans: St. Marks, UT, Harvard, TOC, NSDA Nationals
Goals for 2014-2015: Kick some butt in extemp and overcome my fear of fishing lures
Extemper’s Mouth: I love forensics. There, I said it. I have competed in a multitude of events throughout my career. While I started in policy (don’t worry I have repented for this sin), I quickly made my way over to extemp because I found it was the only way I could get people to spend seven minutes in a room with me. I am, however, an interper at heart and primarily focus on acting events. I’m a romantic who loves long extemp speeches on the beach and I’m looking for love.
ROHAN DHOOPAR
Year of Graduation: 2015
Hometown: San Jose, CA
School: Bellarmine College Preparatory
Favorite School Subject: Science
College Choices: A university that offers excellent interdisciplinary programs
Major 2013-2014 Tournament Results: James Logan MLK Invitational-2nd (IX); California High School Speech League State Tournament-Semifinalist (IX); Montgomery Bell Academy Extemp Round Robin-Participant
Last Year’s Nationals Results: NSDA-3rd (IX)
Personal Strengths in Extemp: Economics and economic theory, India, and the Middle East
Favorite Topic to Speak On: Japan, Science and Technology
Least Favorite Topic to Speak On: Oceania
Favorite World Leader: Nelson Mandela
Least Favorite World Leader: Pol Pot
Favorite Source: The Economist
Favorite Non-Fiction Book: End this Depression Now! by Paul Krugman
Favorite Tournament to Attend During the Season: NSDA Nationals
IX or USX at 2015 NSDA?: IX
National Circuit Plans?: Glenbrooks, MBA, James Logan, UC Berkeley
Goals for 2014-2015: To improve upon what I have achieved so far, lead our whole team to a successful year, and enjoy my last year with my friends and coaches in this great activity
From the Extemper’s Mouth: I’m Rohan Dhoopar, and I hail from the city of San Jose, California, attending and competing for Bellarmine College Prep. I was introduced to extemp as a freshman in our speech and debate class and have been hooked ever since, because I love to learn and talk about what’s going on around the world. I also compete in policy debate and public forum debate; I have won the James Logan Invitational in policy (2014) and CA state in public forum (2013). Thus far I have been the California state champion in IX in 2013 and won 3rd place at nationals in 2014. Outside of extemp, I enjoy a variety of sports including football (real and fantasy) and soccer and watching TV shows like Sherlock and Arrow. I hope to study computer science, a branch of engineering, and/or economics/finance in college.
JUSTIN GRAHAM
Year of Graduation: 2016
Hometown: Winter Park, Florida
School: Trinity Preparatory School
Favorite School Subject: Anything really (as long as it isn’t world languages, and if I absolutely had to pick, it would be computer science)
College Choices: Columbia University, Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University
Major 2013-2014 Tournament Results: Florida Forensic League State Tournament-2nd (IX); University of Kentucky Extemp TOC Round Robin-3rd; Crestian Tradition-4th; Harvard-6th; Wake Forest-6th; Extemp TOC-Quarterfinalist
Last Year’s Nationals Results: NCFL-Semifinalist; NSDA-Quarterfinalist (IX)
Personal Strengths in Extemp: Engaging and energetic speaker, with good analysis
Favorite Topic to Speak On: Space (or more commonly National Security/Technology)
Least Favorite Topic to Speak On: The Judiciary
Favorite World Leader: Shinzo Abe
Least Favorite World Leader: Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
Favorite Source: The Brookings Institution
Favorite Non-Fiction Book: Ghost Wars by Steve Coll
Favorite Tournament to Attend During the Season: Harvard
IX or USX at 2015 NSDA?: Probably IX, but I am not sure yet
National Circuit Plans?: Going to every tournament I possibly can
Goals for 2014-2015: I want to be able to walk out of every tournament without any regrets.
From the Extemper’s Mouth (Include a 5-7 sentence summary about yourself, who you are, and your career up to this point): I started extemp halfway through my freshman year, and I fell in love with the event immediately. I was lucky to be at a school with a great program, and I learned a lot in a rather short time. I now travel the national circuit fairly regularly, and should be at every major national tournament. My only regret is not starting extemp a little sooner. In addition to extemp, I love math and science, as well as computer programming. Feel free to come and introduce yourself if you see me anywhere, as I am always looking to meet new people.
JAD HAMDAN
Year of Graduation: 2015
Hometown: Canton, Ohio
School: Jackson High School
Favorite School Subject: Calculus and Physics
College Choices: Williams College, Dartmouth College, University of Pennsylvania
Major 2013-2014 Tournament Results: Ohio High School Speech League State Tournament-2nd (USX); Glenbrooks-Semifinalist; Montgomery Bell Academy Extemp Round Robin-Participant
Last Year’s Nationals Results: NSDA-11th (USX)
Personal Strengths in Extemp: Personality, Presence, and Knowledge of the Middle East
Favorite Topic to Speak On: International Relations
Least Favorite Topic to Speak On: Sports
Favorite World Leader: Vladimir Putin
Least Favorite World Leader: Benjamin Netanyahu
Favorite Source: The Economist
Favorite Non-Fiction Book: The Arabs, a History – Eugene Rogan
Favorite Tournament to Attend During the Season: MBA
IX or USX at 2015 NSDA?: USX
National Circuit Plans?: Glenbrooks, George Mason, Harvard, TOC, NSDA Nationals
Goals for 2014-2015: Finals at NSDA Nationals
From the Extemper’s Mouth: I am a four-time National qualifying Extemper who was placed into a powerhouse program right from the start. The history of Extemp at Jackson, especially success right from the beginning, is unprecedented. Undoubtedly, that type of environment was what molded me into the Extemper I am today. Such a level of inter-category competition provided me with the necessary expertise to be competitive on the national circuit. Thus far, I have enjoyed success at both the state and national level, and wish to increase that with a broadened focus on circuit competition. However, unlike many of my other competitors, I don’t obsess over Extemp. I enjoy my time outside of debate as it lends incredible perspective on the importance of the intangible characteristics of academic competition. I believe that success in Extemp is as much about being a real person with real capabilities as it is dedicating yourself to endless practice speeches and research.
VINESH KANNAN
Photo Credit: imsastudentproductions.com
Year of Graduation: 2015
Hometown: Schaumburg, Illinois
School: Illinois Math and Science Academy
Favorite School Subjects: Web Development, Game Theory
College Choices: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois Institute of Technology, University of Texas at Dallas, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Northwestern University
Major 2013-2014 Tournament Results: Illinois High School Association State Tournament-1st; Extemp TOC-Quarterfinalist
Last Year’s Nationals Results: NSDA-Quarterfinalist (IX)
Personal Strengths in Extemp: Researching, showing connections between nations
Favorite Topic to Speak On: Leadership Development
Least Favorite Topic to Speak On: Gridlock
Favorite World Leader: Air Chief Marshal Foo Foo of the Royal Thai Air Force
Least Favorite World Leader: Mokhtar Belmokhtar
Favorite Source: The Tehran Times
Favorite Non-Fiction Book: The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell
Favorite Tournament to Attend During the Season: The Willowbrook Tournament, a local meet that offers wonderful experimental events like Wretched Interp.
IX or USX at 2015 NSDA?: IX
National Circuit Plans?: Northwestern TOC/NSDA Nationals
Goals for 2014-2015: Make it to the Hypotheticals round at TOC!
From the Extemper’s Mouth: I started doing extemp during my freshman year at Schaumburg High School and kept on the year after, when I transferred to the Illinois Math and Science Academy, a residential high school in Aurora, Illinois where I will be a senior this year. I have had many fun experiences in speech, from competing in three national tournaments to recently seeing one of my extemp videos on YouTube go viral in Australia. My coach, who is a physics teacher at IMSA, still encourages me to keep in touch with my math and science side during speech and I created a web app for debaters during nationals this summer that is now online at tinyurl.com/flowdebate! Although my team doesn’t travel beyond Illinois much, I have had plenty of opportunities to be part of the forensics community as I have worked with middle school speech and debate programs on local and national levels since my freshman year. I think it is important to follow and analyze current events because it makes us more intelligent citizens of the world and more in tune with finding solutions to the challenges that governments and communities face. Through high school and speech team I have gained a wide array of skills from public speaking to web development to policy-making and I hope to put them to use to better my campus and wherever the future takes me.
ELIZABETH KINGABY
Year of Graduation: 2015
Hometown: Concord, North Carolina
School: Central Cabarrus High School
Favorite School Subject: Theatre
College Choices: Ideally GMU, Wake Forest, or Yale
Major 2013-2014 Tournament Results: Laird Lewis-3rd; Tarheel Forensic League State Tournament-3rd; Wake Forest-3rd; Barkley Forum-4th; Harvard-Double-Octofinalist; Winner of ten local tournaments (including NCFL and NSDA districts)
Last Year’s Nationals Results: NCFL-Did not break
Personal Strengths in Extemp: Speaking style, fluency, structure
Favorite Topic to Speak On: Political polarity, controversial issues
Least Favorite Topic to Speak On: Those that are overly obscure
Favorite World Leader: Barack Obama
Least Favorite World Leader: Kim Jong-un
Favorite Source: The Economist
Favorite Non-Fiction Book: Roald Dahl’s two autobiographies, Boy and Going Solo
Favorite Tournament to Attend During the Season: Barkley Forum at Emory University or NSDA
IX or USX at 2015 NSDA?: Undecided
National Circuit Plans?: Wake Forest, GMU, Laird Lewis, Barkley Forum, possibly Yale, and hopefully both nationals!
Goals for 2014-2015: Qualify to CFLs and NFLs for a fourth year, break at all national circuit tournaments I attend, stay true to my style, have fun (corny, but necessary!), expand my diversity of sources, and convince my school system to recognize and fund our growing team.
From the Extemper’s Mouth: Speech and Debate is my family, literally… My mother has been coaching speech since I was in elementary school, so I used to spend my Saturdays getting up at 4 am to go watch amazing, inspirational high school kids in HI and Duo all day, freaking out over Lindsey White and Gabe Gonzalez the way other fourth graders did over Disney celebrities. I was an interp kid by blood, but late in freshman year I discovered (and fell in love with) extemp–the prep room community, the adrenaline rush, the novelty of each speech, the ability to frame the way people see things. I’ve always been the only extemper on
every team I’ve been on, so filing alone has been both a challenge and an opportunity. Similarly, on my tiny team of only three varsity members we receive next to no funding and traveling the national circuit is always challenging. I would absolutely not have made it this far if not for the warmth and help I receive from other Carolina extempers. I definitely hope to compete on the collegiate circuit after I graduate and to someday become either a political journalist or politician.
DAVIS LARKIN
Year of Graduation: 2015
Hometown: Dallas, TX
School: Parish Episcopal School
Favorite School Subject: Last year? Easily APUSH, because history is awesome and our teacher’s dry sass is glorious. Thankfully, he teaches AP Euro next year too.
College Choices: University of Chicago is #1 – their essay prompts are awesome, the Scav Hunt is hilarious, Argonne National Laboratory is leading the charge in researching cutting-edge battery tech (one of my favorite things to geek out about), they have fantastic sciences and economics programs, and on top of all that, they have a positively absurd number of Nobel Laureates as graduates and professors. For a variety of different but equally awesome reasons I won’t list here for purposes of whatever desiccated veneer of brevity remains present, Swarthmore, Georgetown, UT Plan II, and a few others are also at the top of my list.
Major 2013-2014 Tournament Results: University of Kentucky Extemp TOC Round Robin-2nd (Final Round Winner); Winston Churchill-2nd (IX); George Mason Patriot Games-5th; Montgomery Bell Extemp Round Robin-7th; Villiger-Semifinalist; Texas Forensic Association State Tournament-Semifinalist (IX); Extemp TOC-Quarterfinalist; Harvard-Quarterfinalist
Last Year’s Nationals Results: NSDA-Quarterfinalist (IX)
Personal Strengths in Extemp: Weird impacts and arguments from even weirder sources. If I had a dime for every time I’ve used the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter as a cure-all for our problems, I’d have a good $1.30. (But seriously, the F-35 is awesome.)
Favorite Topic to Speak On: I have to choose just one? Crap…I’ll have to go with everything about energy. My dad is an environmental lawyer, so we’ve been energy policy nerds since long before I even knew what extemp was. The politics, economics, and history of energy are Machiavellian, insane, and at the same time often hope-inspiring. Energy policy is central with regards to everything from Vladimir Putin to the shale gas revolution to China’s rise to the American automotive industry to the entire past century in the Middle East and the world’s relationship with it. Put simply, energy is really, really important. One might even say that it’s ALL the important.
Least Favorite Topic to Speak On: RULE #1: Never take the abortion question.
Favorite World Leader: Does Boris Johnson count? I’ll just put this here.
Least Favorite World Leader: Nouri Al-Maliki of Iraq. Seriously, screw that guy – he certainly could’ve united the fractious ethnic factions of Iraq, but he instead utterly rejected the concept of doing anything but playing majoritarian politics and exploiting Shia cronyism. Shockingly, everything fell apart when he did everything in his power to disenfranchise anyone who wasn’t on the Maliki bandwagon.
Favorite Source: The Guardian. There are many that publish higher quality articles, but are there any that have Charlie Brooker and his (beautifully satirical) accusations that David Cameron is a lizard? No. No, there are not.
Favorite Non-Fiction Book: Joseph Studwell’s How Asia Works. That book is the bible of developing world macroeconomics, and it has more arguments crammed into it than you can wave a Staples full of legal pads at.
Favorite Tournament to Attend During the Season: Definitely the Extemp TOC at Northwestern. The judging quality is superb, the competition is of the highest caliber, and the questions are always both fun and fair. If I may make a request, dearest ETOC – please, please move the tournament away from AP Week. Please? Maybe around April 18? Also, somebody please save that tournament, because I’m not hearing good things and the tournament is fantastic.
IX or USX at 2015 NSDA?: IX all day, every day
National Circuit Plans?: Yale, St. Mark’s, Villiger, George Mason, MBA (hopefully), Harvard, Extemp TOC, University of Kentucky TOC, and NSDA Nationals
Goals for 2014-2015: The big one: Win TFA state in FX. I have some seriously tough competition, but I’m keeping my hopes up. The sequel: qualify for the MBA again – I loved that tournament, and would love to return. The personal favorite: Make finals, hopefully Top 3, at TOC Extemp. I respect that tournament massively, and it’s been my supreme goal for two years now to final there.
From the Extemper’s Mouth: I’d like to take a moment to send a message to all the extempers: APPRECIATE YOUR COACH. They have complete influence over whether a program is any good or not, and immense influence over your own personal development. More importantly, I speak from personal experience when I say that the time you have with them is far, far too short. Make the most out of every hour you have with them – you’ll be so, so thankful for it later. I wish I had done more. Beyond that, something that can help your extemp immensely is a little odd, but trust me on this one: start a middle school debate program, and teach it. You have to really know and understand the issues, argumentation, proper delivery, etc. to teach it well – so, by teaching them, you’ll likely improve your extemp skills significantly. Plus, extemp is fundamentally an event about teaching – getting in more practice teaching will help with everything from delivery and presentation to the material you’re talking about. I recommend it highly.
YIJIA LIANG
Year of Graduation: 2015
Hometown: Upper Arlington, Ohio
School: Upper Arlington High School
Favorite School Subject: Math, Economics/History, Chemistry
Major 2013-2014 Tournament Results: University of Kentucky Extemp TOC Round Robin-4th; Extemp TOC-Semifinalist; Florida Blue Key-Semifinalist (IX), Quarterfinalist (USX)
Last Year’s Nationals Results: NCFL-Semifinalist
Personal Strengths in Extemp: I am OK at remaining fluent and explaining topics
Favorite Topic to Speak On: African economics
Least Favorite Topic to Speak On: US State and local politics
Favorite World Leader: Aung San Suu Kyi
Least Favorite World Leader: Bashar al-Assad
Favorite Source: Brookings Institution
Favorite Non-Fiction Book: Currency Wars by James Rickards
Favorite Tournament to Attend During the Season: Extemp TOC
IX or USX at 2015 NSDA?: Hopefully IX!
National Circuit Plans?: Ideally Yale, Glenbrooks/Villiger, GMU, and TOCs.
Goals for 2014-2015: Although cliche, I can’t ask for more than my best.
From the Extemper’s Mouth: Hi! My name is Yijia Liang, and I hail from the great state of Ohio! Besides extemping, I also participate in Model U.N at our school, and play violin for our school’s orchestra. Fun fact: Upon joining our Speech and Debate team, I originally wanted to do PF, but the slots were all filled, so I chose IX (Ohio splits the two) instead. To this day, I haven’t debated a round :). I didn’t get involved on the national circuit until this past year, but was embraced by the kind members of the community, which is what makes extemp so special. I am really excited for this next year, to see both familiar and new faces! Good luck and happy filing to all!
PHOEBE LIN
Year of Graduation: 2015
Hometown: Columbia, Missouri
School: Plano West Senior High
Favorite School Subject: AP US History
College Choices: UT-Austin (auto-admission for top 7%), undecided for rest
Major 2013-2014 Tournament Results: Winston Churchill-1st (IX); Texas Forensic Association State Tournament-4th (IX); St. Mark’s-5th (IX), Semifinalist (USX); Harvard-Semifinalist
Last Year’s Nationals Results: NSDA-13th (IX)
Personal Strengths in Extemp: finding specifics/statistics to use in speeches
Favorite Topic to Speak On: Japan
Least Favorite Topic to Speak On: domestic social issues
Favorite World Leader: Shinzo Abe
Least Favorite World Leader: Michel Martelly
Favorite Source: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Favorite Non-Fiction Book: The End of Power by Moises Naim
Favorite Tournament to Attend During the Season: NSDA Nationals
IX or USX at 2015 NSDA?: IX
National Circuit Plans: St. Mark’s, UT, Churchill, Harvard, NSDA Nationals (Extemp TOC is a maybe right now.)
Goals for 2014-2015: Reach finals in both extemps at St. Mark’s and UT
From the Extemper’s Mouth: Before my freshman year, my parents, unaware there were different types of speech and debate, sent me to policy camp. (Unsurprisingly, that experience did not turn out so well.) After trying LD once in practice and failing miserably, I began to focus on extemp halfway through my freshman year. Ever since then, I have found myself increasingly involved in the extemp community. Although I do not frequently attend national circuit extemp tournaments, I still enjoy spending my weekends competing at Texas locals!
VISHAL NARAYANASWAMY
Year of Graduation: 2015
Hometown: Madison, WI
School: James Madison Memorial High School, Madison, WI
Favorite School Subject: Government and Politics
College Choices (in no particular order): Yale University, Dartmouth College, Brown University, Harvard University, Princeton University, Northwestern University, University of Wisconsin- Madison
Major 2013-2014 Tournament Results: Wisconsin Forensic Coaches Association State Tournament-3rd; Extemp TOC-Quarterfinalist
Last Year’s Nationals Results: NCFL-6th; NSDA-7th (USX)
Personal Strengths in Extemp: Analysis, speaking fluidity, and humor.
Favorite Topic to Speak On: Anything related to domestic politics.
Least Favorite Topic to Speak On: “Will Leo ever get his Oscar?”
Favorite World Leader: Barack Obama, Josiah Bartlet, Admiral General Aladeen
Least Favorite World Leader: Bashar al-Assad, Kim Jong-Un, Vladimir Putin
Favorite Source: The Economist
Favorite Non-Fiction Book: America’s Unwritten Constitution: The Precedents and Principles We Live By– Akhil Reed Amar
Favorite Tournament to Attend During the Season: Harvard
IX or USX at 2015 NSDA?: USX
National Circuit Plans?: Going to tournaments at Yale, Harvard, Bronx Science, Glenbrooks, Northwestern TOC, NSDA nationals, to name a few.
Goals for 2014-2015: Break and give the best possible speeches.
From the Extemper’s Mouth: I’m a senior from Madison, WI, who is passionately interested in politics, law, and economics. I began extemporaneous speaking in my freshman year and quickly developed a keen fascination with current events and global affairs. While my career largely focused on in-state tournaments throughout my underclassmen years, I attended a few national tournaments as a sophomore, including the 2013 National Tournament in Birmingham. It was only towards the end of the 2013-14 season that my national career saw greater success, with high-ranking finishes at NCFL and NSDA nationals. Throughout my career, I have thrived, succeeded, and thoroughly enjoyed speech and debate thanks to the incredible efforts and commitment of my coach, Timothy Scheffler. When I’m not extemping, debating, or cram-filing articles right before a tournament, I enjoy coordinating volunteer activities at my high school, watching The West Wing, The Daily Show, and The Colbert Report, or building LEGO sets. I wish all 2014-15 competitors the best of luck and a wonderful season of speech and debate.
JASPER PRIMACK
Year of Graduation: 2015
Hometown: Newton, Massachusetts
School: Newton South High School
Favorite School Subject: English
College Choices: I want to do parliamentary debate, which gives me a wide range of choices from Brandeis to Harvard to American. I may consider doing college speech.
Major 2013-2014 Tournament Results: Columbia-1st; George Mason Patriot Games-1st; Villiger-3rd; Harvard-5th; Yale-5th; Montgomery Bell Academy Extemp Round Robin-10th
Last Year’s Nationals Results: NCFL-Octofinalist; NSDA-4th (USX)
Personal Strengths in Extemp: Creative argumentation, and passionate speaking style
Favorite Topic to Speak On: Political theory
Least Favorite Topic to Speak On: Education
Favorite World Leader: Lee Kuan Yew (not currently a leader)
Least Favorite World Leader: Robert Mugabe
Favorite Source: Financial Times
Favorite Non-Fiction Book: The Quest: Energy, Security, and the Remaking of the Modern World by Daniel Yergin
Favorite Tournament to Attend During the Season: Harvard
IX or USX at 2015 NSDA?: USX
National Circuit Plans?: Yale, Bronx(maybe), Villiger(maybe), GMU Patriot Games, MBA, Columbia, Harvard, UK TOC(maybe), TOC Extemp(maybe), CFL Nationals, NSDA Nationals
Goals for 2014-2015: Improve my electronic research tools. Be the best speaker that I can be.
From the Extemper’s Mouth: I began extemp in my freshman year of high school as a fairly stuttery(still a little bit) kid. I probably would have switched to PF if not for coaches like Mrs. Honeyman, Alan Tannenwald, Justin Kieran, and Gil Avramovich, who gave me an amazing environment for learning extemp and being more confident in myself. After an interesting freshman year, I visited the UTNIF camp over the summer, where I got to meet a whole new world of speechies. My sophomore year, I dubbed myself the “Quartermaster” after making quarterfinals at Yale, Columbia, and Harvard, before finally breaking the curse and semifinaling at nationals. At GMIF the following summer, I was able to work with amazing lab leaders to prepare for the next season, during which I won Columbia and the GMU Patriot Games as well as coming 4th at Nationals. This summer, I attended UTNIF a second time, where I worked with a great lab to hone my speaking for my final competitive season. I love political science, and will probably pursue a career in policy or law after college.
MARSHALL SLOANE
Year of Graduation: 2017
Hometown: Needham, Massachusetts
School: Milton Academy
Favorite School Subject: Math
College Choices: Undecided
Major 2013-2014 Tournament Results: Massachusetts Speech and Debate League State Tournament-1st
Last Year’s Nationals Results: NSDA-Quarterfinalist (USX)
Personal Strengths in Extemp: I am unsure on where I excel now, but I am excited to find out my strengths next year.
Favorite Topic to Speak On: US Politics
Least Favorite Topic to Speak On: Science and technology
Favorite World Leader: Barack Obama
Least Favorite World Leader: Kim Jong Un
Favorite Source: Brookings Institution
Favorite Non-Fiction Book: Why Nations Fail by James A. Robinson and Daron Acemoglu
Favorite Tournament to Attend During the Season: NSDA
IX or USX at 2015 NSDA?: USX
National Circuit Plans?: I plan to go to Yale, Glenbrooks, GMU Patriot Games, Harvard, TOC Extemp, NSDA, CFL, and MBA (if I get invited).
Goals for 2014-2015: Do the best I can and grow my skill level throughout the year.
From the Extemper’s Mouth: I began extemping in my 8th grade year by competing at local tournaments with Ms. Simon as an incredible coach. I began extemp after I won NJFLs in impromptu the year before. During my 8th grade year, I realized that I loved extemporaneous speaking and discussing current events, so I put more time into filing and research over the year. A turning point for me was GMIF over my summer before 9th grade when I worked with Rob Warchol and Ben Constine, both of whom were excellent at teaching me strong speaking skills and analysis. My coach at Milton Academy, Susan Marianelli, is really one of most patient and caring people I’ve ever met – working with me for hours every day. All of my success this year can be accredited to Ms. Marianelli’s coaching. After the MFL State Speech Tournament I put in hours of work and filing with Ms. Marianelli for NSDAs, which paid off. Overall I truly enjoyed my freshman year in speech and I am excited for next year.
JANE TULLIS
Year of Graduation: 2016
School: Valparaiso High School (IN)
Major 2013-2014 Tournament Results: Indiana High School Forensic Association State Tournament-1st (USX)
Last Year’s National Results: NSDA-Octofinalist (USX)
JOSH WARTEL
Year of Graduation: 2015
Hometown: Burke, Virginia
School: Lake Braddock Secondary School
Favorite School Subject: English
College Choices: William Mary, Virginia, George Mason, others
Major 2013-2014 Tournament Results: Florida Blue Key-1st (Round Robin), 3rd (IX), 4th (USX); Villiger-1st; Virginia High School League State Tournament-1st (6A); Montgomery Bell Academy Extemp Round Robin-2nd; Wake Forest-2nd; Extemp TOC-4th; Harvard-4th; George Mason Patriot Games-Semifinalist
Last Year’s Nationals Results: NCFL-3rd; NSDA-3rd (USX)
Personal Strengths in Extemp: Analysis, Impacts
Favorite Topic to Speak On: Edward Snowden
Least Favorite Topic to Speak On: North Korea
Favorite World Leader: Michele Bachelet
Least Favorite World Leader: Vladimir Putin
Favorite Source: Congressional Research Service
Favorite Non-Fiction Book: The Forever War by Deter Filkins
Favorite Tournament to Attend During the Season: MBA
IX or USX at 2015 NSDA?: USX
National Circuit Plans?: Wake/Yale, Blue Key, Villager, Patriot Games, MBA, Harvard
Goals for 2014-2015: To develop a more distinctive, personalized style of Extemp.
From the Extemper’s Mouth: I am Josh Wartel and I started extemp before my ninth grade year not knowing anything. Since then, I’ve grown to love the event and the people in the extemp community. I owe the vast majority of my success to my many coaches, including Duane Hyland, AK Komanduri, Jacob Abraham, and Rob Warchol, and other extempers, such as Chase Harrison, Miles Saffran and Nathan Leys, who always served as excellent role models and competition. The George Mason Institute of Forensics (GMIF) has also been an enormous aid and influence on my development as a speaker and I implore anyone who wants to improve as an extemper to attend in 2015.
ALEXANDER YE
Year of Graduation: 2015
Hometown: San Gabriel, CA
School: Gabrielino High School
Favorite School Subject: Mathematics
College Choices: Harvard, Georgetown, University of Chicago, American University
Major 2013-2014 Tournament Results: James Logan MLK-1st (IX); Schurr Spring Aloha Invitational-1st; Jack Howe Long Beach-2nd (IX); California High School Speech League State Tournament-3rd (IX)
Last Year’s Nationals Results: NSDA-14th (IX)
Favorite Topic to Speak On: Russia
Least Favorite Topic to Speak On: International Organizations
Favorite World Leader: Pope Francis
Least Favorite World Leader: Kim Jong Il
Favorite Source: Center for Strategic and International Studies
Favorite Non-Fiction Book: John Mearsheimer’s The Tragedy of Great Power Politics
Favorite Tournament to Attend During the Season: No favorites
2015 NSDA: IX
National Circuit Plans/Goals for 2014-2015: Make the most out of the guaranteed opportunities/opportunities I have to speak, teach, and have fun!
BRIAN YU
Year of Graduation: 2015
Hometown: Danville, California
School: Monte Vista High School
Favorite School Subject: Calculus
College Choices: Still Undecided
Major 2013-2014 Tournament Results: California High School Speech League State Tournament-1st (USX); California Invitational-1st; Stanford-2nd (IX); Glenbrooks-Quarterfinalist
Last Year’s Nationals Results: NSDA-5th (USX)
Personal Strengths in Extemp: Memorization and powerful rhetoric
Favorite Topic to Speak On: Education
Least Favorite Topic to Speak On: Foreign Policy
Favorite World Leader: Franklin Roosevelt
Least Favorite World Leader: Bashar al-Assad
Favorite Source: Politico
Favorite Non-Fiction Book: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Favorite Tournament to Attend During the Season: NSDA Nationals
IX or USX at 2015 NSDA?: USX
National Circuit Plans: Not going to be able to travel much, going to NSDA nationals and probably going to Glenbrooks. Most tournaments I attend will be on the west coast.
Goals for 2014-2015: Train new state and national qualifiers from my school before I graduate to keep the extemp team alive.
From the Extemper’s Mouth: During my freshman year of high school, I competed in Original Oratory and loved it. Since I didn’t have a particularly successful year in oratory, my coach suggested that I try extemp during my sophomore year. At the time, I didn’t know much about current events and I wasn’t well-versed in politics. At first, I found extemp to be particularly challenging, but after dedicating months to reading, filing, and practicing, I was able to be successful in the event. My one year in oratory turned out to be extremely valuable, since the engaging delivery skills I learned there helped me to become a more persuasive extemp speaker. Since then, I’ve dedicated myself to learning more, becoming a more effective speaker, and helping the younger members of my team developing their skills as speakers.