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236 competitors began the week in International Extemp and now the field has been chopped down to six. One of those six competitors will become the 2014 National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) International Extemporaneous Speaking Champion. The IX final round will commence at 11:00 a.m. CST on Friday. Extemp Central will provide a recap of the final round after it concludes.
Extemp Central has provided an overview to give its readers some background on who they will see in tomorrow’s final. The format used for each participant is similar to that used for our “Sweet Sixteen” pieces for the Montgomery Bell Academy Extemp Round Robin in January.
This year’s IX final has five states represented. Seniors make up two-thirds of the round, and five of the finalists are former participants in the Montgomery Bell Academy Extemp Round Robin. The IX final features the only two female extempers left standing in either extemp category at the end of twelve rounds of competition. Three of the competitors come from schools that have had an extemper win an IX national championship within the last five years. Five competitors have won state championships, and three of them won Extemp TOC qualifying tournaments this season.
DYLAN ADELMAN
*School: Lakeville South High School, Minnesota
*Class: Senior
*Notable 2013-2014 Finishes: Minnesota High School League State Tournament Class 2A-1st; Apple Valley Minneapple-1st; NCFL Nationals-Semifinalist
*Previous NSDA Nationals Finishes: 7th-IX (2013); 11th-IX (2012); Octofinalist-USX (2011)
*What’s at Stake: After competing in thirty-six rounds over the last three years, Adelman finally broke through to get to the NSDA IX final round. A victory would make him the third Minnesota extemper in the last four years to leave NSDA Nationals with the International Extemp national championship. It would be the second IX title for Lakeville South, which last won in 2011 when Dylan Slinger mounted a final round comeback to defeat Ashesh Rambachan. Adelman is the only extemper in the IX final to have never competed at the Montgomery Bell Extemp Round Robin in Nashville, Tennessee.
ROHAN DHOOPAR
*School: Bellarmine College Preparatory, California
*Class: Junior
*Notable 2013-2014 Finishes: James Logan MLK Invitational IX-2nd; California High School Speech Association State Tournament IX-Semifinalist; Montgomery Bell Academy Extemp Round Robin-Participant
*Previous NSDA Nationals Finishes: 12th-IX (2013); Quarterfinalist-USX (2012)
*What’s at Stake: A California IX state champion as a sophomore, Dhoopar overcame a semi-final finish at this year’s California state tournament to make a deep run at NSDA Nationals. With a win, Dhoopar would become the sixth extemper from his school to win an NSDA extemp national championship. The last Bellarmine extemper to leave NSDA Nationals with a title was Jacob Baker, who won IX in 2010. Baker is Bellarmine’s only IX national champion, but Dhoopar could change that Friday.
LILY NELLANS
*School: Des Moines Roosevelt High School, Iowa
*Class: Senior
*Notable 2013-2014 Finishes: Extemp TOC-1st; Florida Blue Key-1st (USX), 2nd (IX); George Mason Patriot Games Extemp Round Robin-1st; Glenbrooks-1st; Iowa High School Forensic League All-Iowa Finals IX-1st; Montgomey Bell Academy
Extemp Round Robin-1st; Apple Valley Minneapple-2nd; Harvard-2nd; NCFL Nationals-2nd; Yale-3rd
*Previous NSDA Nationals Finishes: 5th-IX (2013); 3rd-IX (2012)
*What’s at Stake: A victory allows Nellans to end her high school career with an eighth major championship and a career grand slam, something only one other extemper in history (Kevin Troy ’05) was able to do. She would become the first female extemper in five years to win an NSDA IX national championship. It would also be a nice going away present for her coach Harry Strong, who is leaving Des Moines Roosevelt after this season, as it would give Strong two IX national champions in as many years.
ISABELLA PARETTI
*School: Cypress Bay High School, Florida
*Class: Senior
*Notable 2013-2014 Finishes: Florida Forensic League State Tournament IX-2nd; Barkley Forum-3rd; Florida Blue Key-3rd (USX), 4th (IX); Glenbrooks- Quarterfinalist; Sunvitational-Quarterfinalist
*Previous NSDA Nationals Finishes: Quarterfinalist-IX (2013)
*What’s at Stake: Florida has never won an IX championship at the NSDA National Tournament and Paretti could change this on Friday. Like her Florida counterpart Miles Saffran, Paretti finds herself in the final round after being eliminated in quarterfinals last season. Paretti can also become the first female winner of IX since 2009. She is one of five MBA Extemp Round Robin alumni in the final round.
MILES SAFFRAN
*School: Trinity Preparatory School, Florida
*Class: Senior
*Notable 2013-2014 Finishes: Florida Blue Key-1st (IX), 2nd (USX); Florida Forensic League State Tournament USX-1st; Sunvitational-1st; Wake Forest-1st; Yale-1st; Extemp TOC-3rd; Harvard-3rd; MBA Extemp Round Robin-3rd; George
Mason-3rd (Round Robin), 4th (Patriot Games); NCFL Nationals-Semifinalist
*Previous NSDA Nationals Finishes: Quarterfinalist-IX (2013); 14th-IX (2012)
*What’s at Stake: Saffran has been a factor at most of the nation’s big tournament this season and this NSDA Nationals is no exception. Like fellow finalist and Floridian Isabella Paretti, Saffran could bring Florida its first IX national championship. He would also become the first extemper to win Wake Forest, which starts the national circuit season, and NSDA Nationals since David Kumbroch bookended the season in 2007.
GABE SLATER
*School: Denver East High School, Colorado
*Class: Junior
*Notable 2013-2014 Finishes: Colorado High School Activities Association State Tournament IX-1st; Glenbrooks-2nd; James Logan MLK Invitational IX-6th; Harvard-Semifinalist; MBA Extemp Round Robin-Participant
*Previous NSDA Nationals Finishes: Quarterfinalist-IX (2013); Quarterfinalist-IX (2012)
*What’s at Stake: Slater is one of the five extempers with a state championship to his credit in this year’s IX final round. He is also one of two juniors to make it this far in the tournament. 2006 was a golden year for Colorado extemp as Spencer Rockwell won IX and Colin West won USX. Since that time, Colorado has not been able to bring home an extemp national title from NSDA. Slater could become the first Colorado extemper in eight years to leave Overland Park with the national championship trophy.